Divenire
by LunnayaVolk
Summary: Bella's family suffers a great loss, and moves to Seattle to mend. In hopes of getting revenge, Bella and her adoptive brother Jacob turn to the Cullens. Rated M for later chapters. B/A.
1. Chapter 1

Divenire

Ch. 1

**Bella's POV**

I took one final look at my childhood home as my father packed the last of our stuff into the U-Haul. After 21 years, Charlie was moving us to Seattle. He'd transferred to the Seattle PD. Though, initially, I had been pissed at the idea, I understood why he wanted us to move. With each passing day, it grew harder to walk through our home, constantly bombarded with the memories of my mother, his wife and mate. I'd seen it in my brother, Jacob's, eyes that he was taking it just as hard. Even though Renee wasn't his biological mother, he'd been just as close with her as I. From the moment we stumbled upon him in the woods during one of our hunts and taken him in, he was practically attached to her. He'd quickly become a momma's boy, and just as quickly become the brother I'd always wanted. If it weren't for the difference in our eye color, I'd forget we weren't blood related. Where my family had icy blue eyes like the rest of our kind, Jacob had one brown and one blue. We'd not found out why his eyes were so, since he had no memory of his biological family. He'd been on his own for as long as he could remember, before we'd come along.

"Come on, Bells. Jacob's waiting for you in your truck. Just follow the U-Haul," Charlie said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a reassuring pat. With a nod, I turned and headed towards my truck, the old Chevy that Jacob and I had just finished restoring. Jacob and I didn't say a word as we pulled out of the drive for the last time. And in that moment, I knew he was craving revenge just as much as I was.

The next 3 hours dragged on as we made our way to our new home. Jacob and I had hardly spoken the entire time. We pulled up to the new house and began the tedious task of unloading the trucks and beginning to unpack. I moved all of my boxes and my mattress to my room, then only unpacked what I really needed for the night and following day; clothes, shoes, toiletries, my guitar, and my longboard. After a quick shower, I settled onto my unmade bed and went to sleep.

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

_BEEP, BEEP, **CRASH**__!_

Though my alarm clock didn't deserve the death I'd just delivered, I couldn't help but feel a little better having taken some anger out on something. It was 7 in the morning, and I was obviously not pleased to be up so early. But Jacob and I had an hour to make it to campus for our tour of the campus at Cornish College of the Arts. Though I was beginning my 3rd year of college, Jake and I were both new to this college. I got out of bed and started getting dressed. I grabbed a v-neck white tee, then slid into my skinny blue jeans. Then, I began my attempts at taming my hair. After a 15 minute battle, I opted to just put on my black beanie and head downstairs for breakfast after slipping on my black Vans. I could smell, as well as hear, the bacon sizzling in the kitchen, and my stomach gave a growl just to verify my hunger. I should've known Jake would already have been down to scarf most of what Charlie had prepared for us, but I still gave him a frustrated pop over the head as I passed to get to my seat. I scraped the remaining bit of eggs onto my plate, and grabbed the last piece of toast.

"Do you always have to eat so much, dude? You know it doesn't really do much for us."

"Doesn't mean I don't love it. I can't help that I love eating. You know this," he said with his mouth full.

"No need to bicker, you two. I made some extra bacon for you, Bells," said Charlie, as he placed said bacon on my plate. I finished my breakfast and went back upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my bag and board. A few minutes later, Jacob and I were headed out the door.

We arrived at the campus just in time to begin our tour, and by the end, I was in love with it. I was actually looking forward to starting classes. Jake and I decided to check out our new stomping grounds, and spent the couple of hours skating around. We stumbled upon a cozy looking café, and decided to stop for a break. Entering the café, we were immediately hit with a scent we both recognize. The too-sweet smell could only belong to a vampire, and we recognized it immediately. We looked to each other, with anger burning in our eyes.

"Do you think…?"

"I don't know, Jake. But we're sure as hell going to find out," I said, barely suppressing a growl. We took a seat in the corner of the café, in a spot where we could see the entire place. After a few minutes, I hear the soft steps approaching the door to the kitchen. I looked up just in time to see the source of that sound, and of the scent Jake and I had caught. A woman, about 5'4, looking no older than 26, walked through the doors. I could see the confusion towards us on her face as she approached our table. To a human, she would look like a movie-star type beauty. But I could see the marble-like texture to her too-pale skin. I was taken aback, though, when I looked at her eyes. Instead of the glowing red that I had been expecting, she had eyes the shade of amber, nearly golden. As I took in the rest of her appearance; her heart shaped face, reddish-brown hair, and kind smile; I realized just how different she was from the vampire I'd been expecting. The one I'd been hoping to find. I looked to Jacob and could see that he must have been thinking the same. Even so, we both knew just what these leeches could do, and we weren't about to allow one to catch us off guard simply because she seemed kind.

"Welcome to the Infinitá Café. What can I get for you two?"

I felt a pang in my chest at the sound of her voice. It was so motherly and soft, I couldn't help but be reminded of my own mother. Jacob had yet to stop staring at the woman, so I decided to speak up.

"You can start by telling us what you're doing around all of these humans," I said, so low that only the 3 of us could hear. With the same volume, and just as calm as she had been before, she replied.

"This is my café. And these humans are safe, for they are not a part of my 'diet,' if you will."

"What the fuck?" Jake finally spoke, and it was my turn to stare at the woman. I was utterly confused as to what she could mean by that.

"Do you two need a moment, or are you ready to order," she asked, this time with a hint of irritation in her voice. "No, we'll be leaving," I said as I grabbed my things and practically shoved Jacob out of the door, ahead of me. We quickly made our way home, and waited for Charlie to return from work so we could tell him of the woman.

"There's a vampire….here in Seattle…..running a café? You're positive she's one of them?"

I huffed, yet again, at my father's inability to comprehend what Jake and I had told him.

"Yes, dad. But she's…different. I don't know why, but she wasn't aggressive at all. And her eyes were gold-ish, not red."

"Different or not, I do not want you going near that place again. You hear me, Bella? And same goes to you, Jacob. Don't go sneaking around, you two," Charlie said, fully aware of what Jake and I had in mind. I couldn't help the rise in volume to my voice, "What if they know of the others? We could use them to find the two we've been looking for! Finally have our chance to make them pay for that they've done!" I could see Jake nodding in agreement out of the corner of my eye. But I could also see Charlie wasn't going to budge.

"Bella, you know I want to rip those two leeches to shreds just as much as you do. But we can't risk it. And I cannot lose either of you, too. Leave it be, Isabella. And stay away from that café."

I could see the look of defeat in my father's eyes as he stood from his seat and made his way to his room. I hadn't realized that I'd just been staring in the direction Charlie had gone until Jake spoke up.

"You know we can't just give up. We need to do something. This could be our only chance. I can't move on knowing those assholes are still out there."

"I know," I said, quietly enough that Charlie wouldn't hear. I needed to think, to devise a plan, so I decided to go finish unpacking and try to work something out.

After successfully setting up my room, I still hadn't come up with a solid plan. I decided to just play it by ear, and hope for the best.

The next few days consisted of unpacking the rest of our stuff, painting, and decoration the house. Though, there wasn't much "decorating" to do. That had basically just consisted of hanging the photos we had, and placing dad's gigantic flatscreen on the wall above the fireplace. We'd gotten everything done the night before Jake and I began our classes. We hadn't hunted since the night before the move, so Charlie suggested we do so before we began class in the morning. The three of us ran the short distance to the woods in our human form, then shifted once we reached the cover of the trees. As unpleasant as the shift sounded, what with the cracking and resetting of bones and the shredding of flesh to make way for fur, I always found myself enjoying it. There was an odd sense of relief and comfort when my wolf took form. Jake's shift always took a few seconds longer than my father's and mine, but soon we were running headlong towards a stream that we could hear nearby. As we drew closer, the smell of elk permeated the air, and I picked up my speed, intent on having first choice and snagging the largest of the elk. As soon as I came through the clearing, though, I was hit with the scent of something else and came to an abrupt halt. Charlie and Jake nearly passed me, but I could tell they'd caught the scent, too, as they both stopped and began to growl, quickly looking around us. The scent was being blown our way from the northwest, and without wasting another second, I took off in that direction. I left behind the sounds of my father snapping at me, and continued chasing the scent. I knew they'd follow, but with my head start and higher speed, I knew they wouldn't catch me.

I followed the scent though the woods for miles before it suddenly veared off and led me to an area that was just behind some buildings in the city. Apparently the camp had walked through an ally and onto the city sidewalks. I cut my losses and turned back the way I came, immediately coming face to face with a very pissed Charlie.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Isabella? You can't just take off like that after a god damn vampire! Have you learned NOTHING?" Pissed as I was that I'd lost the vampire, I knew better than to show my temper with Charlie. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again," I said, lowering my head in hopes that Charlie would ease up on me.

In a quieter voice, he continued. "This has got to stop. And you better get your head on straight and start thinking before you wind up dead. Let's wrap this hunt up and get home." I nodded and followed Charlie back towards Jacob and to the stream we'd found before. We came upon a few deer, and easily took them out. We arrived back at home around 2 in the morning, with full bellies and stronger bodies. I headed straight up to the shower, and collapsed into bed afterwards. Since I still hadn't gotten a new clock, I set an alarm on my cell for 7 a.m., and made a mental note not to crush it when I woke.

* * *

><p><strong>Alice's POV<strong>

"Alice, just pick something out already. You're hogging my mate and we all need to hunt," Edward said, being his usual whiney self.

"We just hunted three days ago. Calm down," I said. My outfit choice was first priority, and I knew I could handle the first day of the semester without the urge to snack on some human, anyway. I felt a little bad for putting Jasper in this position, though. Making him choose between his mate and his best friend. But I needed an outside opinion and Jazz was always best for that.

"Babe, can't you just wait a little longer? We'll get this done and then we can go hunt," said Jasper, as he tried to avoid actually having to choose a side. He almost always did so, unless he knew he would suffer the consequences if he didn't do what Eddy wanted.

"Forget it," Edward said, "I'll just go by myself. I'll be back later." With that, he silently left the apartment, and Jasper and I continued searching for the perfect outfit for yours truly. As I disappeared into my closet to pick another contender out, I felt the workings of a vision coming on. My head tingled, my sight tunneled, and suddenly I was seeing Edward in the woods. He was standing in the cover of the brush, watching a herd of elk drink from a stream. Just beyond the stream, I saw what looked to be 3 large, bright, orbs lurking in the trees. Suddenly, one of them was racing towards Edward.

When I finally came out of the vision, I felt Jasper's soft grip on my shoulders.

"What'd you see, Ally," he asked, sending a wave of calm through me.

"I….I'm not sure. But we need to…"

Just before I could finish my sentence, Edward came into the room. "Call Esme and Carlisle," he said in a rush, "and tell them to get here immediately. And to bring Rose and Emmett. We're having a meeting."

I only nodded as I waited for someone to answer the phone.

"Alice, dear, how are you?" Esme was the one to answer the phone.

"Mom, round up everyone and get over here to the apartment. Quickly."

She knew not to ask any questions, and hung up as soon as I finished talking.

"They should be here shortly."

Exactly 4 minutes and 7 seconds later, we were all seated in the living room of the apartment, waiting for Edward to begin.

"What is it, son," Carlisle asked, eager to find out what had Edward so upset. The rest of us felt the same, especially myself. I hoped he could tell me what I had seen in my vision, because I certainly had no clue. Edward was standing and began pacing the room.

"I don't think we're the only 'supernatural' beings in Seattle, anymore," he said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean," asked Esme.

"I mean…I think there are werewolves living around here."

All of us had questioning looks and shock plastered on our faces. All except for Emmett, who gave a smirk and a shout of "Awesome!"

"No, not 'awesome,'" Edward corrected, "They obviously don't take too kindly to vampires. While I was hunting, I heard the thoughts of two people approaching. Only they weren't people at all, and there were actually three of them. Two males, one female. I don't know why, but I couldn't read the female. And as soon as she caught my scent, she charged me."

"Oh my," said Carlisle, "This is quite interesting. I thought the wolves had been secluded to Europe ages ago."

"Apparently not," said Edward, pointing out what we obviously already knew. Ass.

I decided I should speak up then.

"I had a vision of three being in the woods where you were, and one charging you. But I didn't see them as wolves. They only appeared as white orbs in my vision," I said. Carlisle gave me a quizzical look, obviously intrigued by the bit of information.

"Wait!" Esme stood from her seat and turned to Carlise. "Remember the two kids I told you about that came into my café a few days ago? They acted as though they knew what I was. There was one male and one female. Perhaps they're two of the wolves? They did smell...odd….to me."

"Could be," said Carlisle. He continued to sit completely still, deep in thought. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Well, the good thing is that Alice can still somewhat see the wolves in her visions, even if not in their physical forms. We'll all have to be extremely careful, regardless, but I would also like to see if maybe we can acquire more information on them."

It had been decided that I keep a look out for the wolves in my visions, and that non of us hunt alone again until we knew it was safe to do so. By the time our parents, Rose, and Emmett had left, it was nearly time for Edward, Jasper, and I to be leaving for our first class. I had exactly half an hour to decide on what to wear, so I went to my room.

When Edward called for me to tell me it was time to leave, I was dressed in my favorite flats, a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a red low-V top, and my form-fitting leather jacket. Coincidentally, that had been the first outfit I'd laid out in the beginning of my wardrobe debate.

I grabbed my bag, and the boys and I headed to campus.

I couldn't help but be excited as we found a spot to park.

"I don't understand how you can be remotely happy to be here, Alice. Especially after all of these years," Edward said. I'd explained to him hundreds of time why I loved coming back to college, but he never understood. He didn't understand how much I loved attended my dance and theatre classes. The classes gave me a chance to perform again, and I always had fun watching the new students. It was interesting to see a person perform, and to have a vision of where they'd be in years to come. To see who would end up being the next big acting star, or who would go on to be a successful professional dancer. I could easily steal their spotlight and be the best around (not to boast), but I chose to keep my skill level at just-impressive-enough, that way I was able to apply myself a bit without drawing too much attention.

The boys and I exited the car, and I headed for the Fine Arts building for my Acting: Improvisation class. Theatre had been a passion of mine for as long as I could remember. I'm not sure where if I acted in my past before my change or not, but I figured I must have. The class would be wonderful, especially when it came to watching the other students. I suppose I had a thing for people watching.

I entered the large theatre and took a seat in a row behind everyone else in the class. Shortly after I got myself settled, I went into a vision. What I saw both intrigued and worried me. In about 30 seconds, one of the wolves would be entering the very class I was in. This intrigued me because I'd been wanting to see what the wolves really looked like, as wolves and as humans. But it worried me because I wasn't sure what would happen when that wolf came in the door to find a vampire in the room. Things could easily get ugly. I prepared myself for the worst, and waited for the wolf to enter the room.

I found I was completely unprepared for what really happened. As the theatre door opened, I was hit with the smell of rain, earth, and a hint of something sweet, almost like vanilla. The combination of it all was absolutely intoxicating. I tried to stop the thought, stop enjoying the smell, knowing it was the wolf coming in the door. But what I saw had me completely floored. The girl was stunning. She stood at about 5'8", and looked to be about 22 or 23. Her body was perfectly toned, and her skin was almost golden it was so perfectly tanned. She had dark brown hair that hung in waves and fell just past her breasts. What struck me next were her eyes. They were so bright, especially in contrast with her dark hair and tanned skin. They were almost an electric shade of blue. Like icy arctic water being hit by the sunlight. They were mesmerizing, to say the least. After what felt like minutes of ogling, I finally snapped myself out of it, and remember this gorgeous girl could be a threat. When I looked at her again, she was the one staring. Only she wasn't staring in the way I had been staring at her, only moments ago. What I saw in her eyes now was pure outrage. She was still standing at the door, and seemed to be almost stuck there. Her eyes never wavered from mine, and I noticed that her once blue eyes were growing lighter, until they suddenly became completely white. And just as soon as she had entered the room, she was gone. And I couldn't understand why my stomach seemed to drop, and my unbeating heart seemed so heavy all of a sudden.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Bella's POV:**

Jake and I longboarded to school again, taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't raining for a change. We got to school with about 10 minutes to find our classes.

"Meet me out front at the main parking lot after class," I said to Jake, before turning to head towards my class' building. He gave me a nod, and headed towards his. Since his first class was sculpting, and mine was a theatre class, we were in different buildings.

I rested my board between my back and my bag, stabilizing it in place by hanging it on my bag by the trucks. I made the short walk to the building, and headed inside, growing a bit more excited with every step. I absolutely loved acting, and was looking forward to this class. It was an improv. class, and improv. had always been my favorite. I found it exciting, the spontaneity of it all.

I located my class, which was really the theatre itself. I opened the door, and as soon as I stepped inside, I was met with the scent and site of yet another vamp. My feet stopped working, and my hands tightened to fists. These damn things were everywhere! I looked her dead in the eye, and saw golden irises staring back. Sure, she was beautiful, that was to be expected. But I knew she was a monster, even if she was another "different" one like the woman in the café. Why the hell did they want to be around humans? _How _were they around humans? I was steadily growing more and more enraged by her presence, and was forced to stifle the growl that was growing in my chest. I watched her as she watched me, and saw her giving me the once-over. I gave her the once-over, as well, taking in her height and trying to see how much of a threat she could be. I almost wanted to giggle, though, at the idea of this girl being a threat. She was so…tiny. Such a petite little thing. There's no way she was taller than 5'1", maybe 5'2" at best, and couldn't be any more than 105 pounds. I had come to the conclusion that I could most likely take her out with ease.

I brought my eyes back to hers, and found that she was still looking at me, almost like she liked what she saw. Did she really think she had a chance? She was a fucking leech. She definitely had one thing in common with the others, thinking they could have whatever the hell they wanted. Such arrogant creatures.

Another growl grew in my chest, and I felt a wave of heat come over me. I needed to get out of the room before I completely shifted. I knew my eyes were already beginning to turn white. I took a deep breath, and turned away to head back out the door that I'd only just entered moments ago. I needed to talk to Jake. There were still a few minutes before classes actually began, so I made my way towards his building. I sent him a text to have him meet me halfway, so I wouldn't have to make a scene by pulling him from his class. "I need you to meet me. Now. Start heading my way, I'll meet you in the middle."

He looked annoyed but also curious as he walked up.

"What's going on? It's the first day and you're already wanting to skip out?"

"There's a vamp in my class," was all I needed to say for him to understand.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Is this place infested or what? Jesus!"

He was obviously as annoyed by their presence in this town as I was. We'd not been able to go anywhere without running into one.

"I can't go back," I said, "I was in there all of five seconds and nearly shifted."

He stood there for a bit, with a thoughtful look on his face, and I waited to hear what he had to say.

"Well….maybe you could handle it now, knowing it's in there. Wait, dude or chick?"

"A chick. Not a very threatening one, either. "

"Okay, good. Then there shouldn't be any problem as far as taking her out if necessary. Maybe this could be our chance to get information? You could play nice and see if she knows anything. Then we can take out the two we're after, and get rid of her, also."

He looked so hopeful that she'd know something. And he didn't seem to care that we'd be taking out a vamp for no reason, really. I couldn't help but feel the same hope at finding something out. I mean, she had to know somehow. We knew if any of our kind was in our area, so maybe it was the same for vamps, too? I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to finally get what we'd been wanting for so long.

"Okay. I'll try, I guess. I can't really pass up the opportunity. And I'm a good actor, right? She won't suspect a thing. I can be done with her as soon as we have what we need," I said, a little weary of the plan.

"You've got this, Bells. They're obviously not as hostile; otherwise they wouldn't make it around the humans. Make her think you're not a threat, and I'm sure you'll be able to make the rest happen," he said. I nodded in agreement, and started to turn to walk back. I had about a minute and a half before class would be starting, so I needed to hurry.

"Be careful, anyway, Bella. They may be different, but they're still monsters." I gave him another nod, and continued to my class.

As I reached the door, I took a few deep breaths to try and steady myself. I opened the door, took a step in, and looked for a seat. Leech Lady was seated behind the rest of the class, and I chose a seat in the row behind her. I sat on the opposite side, though, so I could keep an eye on here without having to be too close. Her scent assaulted my nose, and it was growing harder to keep my composure. I needed to distract myself, so I decided to take out my notebook and doodle while waiting for our professor to show up and start the class. As soon as I got my notebook out, though, I heard quiet footsteps on the stage. They were coming from stage left, so I assumed they probably belonged to the professor. My assumption was confirmed when the person rounded the curtains and walked to the front of the stage.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to Improv. My name is Emily Uley, and I will be your professor."

She was a very attractive woman, she didn't look like she was much older than myself, and stood at about 5'6". Her long, raven-black hair was beautiful and thick. She was wearing a form-fitting dress that came just below the knees with a floral design, and tan sandals that wrapped around her ankles. She was obviously Native American, judging by her skin tone and facial features. The most outstanding of her features, though, were the three scars that ran down the right side of her face, pulling the edge of her eye down a bit, and tugging at the right side of her lips, making it look as though she had a permanent scowl. Despite the scars, she was still a beautiful woman, and obviously was unaffected by the looks she received because of them. She seemed very confident, and spoke with power while also sounding kind. She continued on about what we would be doing in the class, as well as what our midterm and projects would consist of. We were also given a sheet of paper with all of the information she'd just covered. When she was done covering everything, she dismissed us from the class.

I swallowed hard at the thought of what I was about to do next. I grabbed my bag with my board still attached, and threw it on my back. Taking yet another deep and steadying breath, I headed towards the end of the row where the vampire girl sat. I was mentally kicking myself for this, almost feeling sick to my stomach at the idea of playing nice with a creature like her. She was still seated, collecting her things, so I decided to just take the seat behind her.

Before my ass even met the cushion, and before I could say anything, she spoke.

"Do you need something, or are you just here to try and scare me," she asked in a twinkling voice, almost like bells. She didn't seem very worried about my being near, and sounded almost as if she were joking.

I collected myself, and replied in a smooth voice. "Is the new girl in town not allowed to introduce herself? Sheesh." Ugh, it almost hurt to be kind and playful with this leech.

"Mhmm. Do you always introduce yourself to your natural enemy? Or am I just lucky?" So, that meant she knew what I was? She stood and faced me, and I could see the edges of her lips trying not to pull into a grin. I could also see exactly how short she really was. I stood, and easily towered over her. Giving the best smile I could, I reached out for a handshake. "You're just lucky, I suppose. I'm Bella. And you are…?"

Her tiny, cold, hand reached out to take mine for a firm shake, and she introduced herself.

"Alice. Now, do tell me why exactly you're introducing yourself. Honestly."

The look she gave at this request made me wonder for a moment if she already knew exactly the reason why I'd come to talk to her. But I continued on with my act and answered. "Curiosity, I guess. You're different."

"Am I? How do you suppose," she asked, with an amused looks on her face.

"Your eyes, first of all. And you're attending college. A place full of humans. You're obviously in control of your thirst. I've met one other like you, at a café a few blocks from here. It's interesting, and I'm curious," I said.

"Ah, you must've met my mother, then. That's her café. And yes, we are different, as you've noticed. If you really want to know, I suggest we go somewhere else to carry on this conversation. I know a place where we won't have to worry about being heard or interrupted."

The look on my face must have given away my skepticism, because she began to giggle, and spoke again.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to lure you into a trap. I'm not dumb, I know what your kind is capable of."

"Likewise," I replied in a solemn tone. I couldn't help but feel a bit of anger, remembering what I'd seen of damage done by vampires.

"Follow me, then, Bella," she said, and I followed her out of the theatre and outside.

**Alice's POV**

I was beyond shocked when the girl returned to our class. I had expected she'd leave and switch to a different class. When she walked in the room, it was obvious that she was trying very hard to keep her composure. That made two of us. I was a mess of conflicting feelings at the moment. My instinct was to be on the defensive, but at the same time, I wanted to go to her and introduce myself. I also felt a nagging in the back of my mind, something I couldn't quite place. I simply ignored it.

The girl sat in the row behind me, on the opposite side. I didn't understand why it bothered me that she decided to sit so far away. Shortly after, Emily Uley made her way to the front of the stage to introduce herself and begin the class. I'd already known Emily would be teaching this class, and was quite excited about that. She was from a tribe known as the Quilleutes, which was home to a pack of shifters. The tribe had once had an issue with my kind, but we'd made amends after having fought together nearly 6 months ago to stop a group of vamps that had come to terrorize Forks, a town not too far from here. Her husband, Sam, had become good friends with my father, Carlise, and he and Emily visited my parents' house at least once a week. Emily and I shared a passion for theatre, and also a love of fashion. We often attended plays together, and frequented the local mall. She was a great woman, very kind and loving. She was a wonderful friend, as well, and we always enjoyed each other's company.

Soon, she was finished telling us what to expect this semester, and dismissed us from class. I began to gather my things, and was surprised to hear the wolf girl approach my seat. She started to sit behind me, and I decided to speak.

I was skeptical of her at first, but after introducing ourselves and finding out she was only curious about me, I decided she wasn't a threat at the moment. She wanted to know why I was different. I was willing to tell her a bit about myself and my family, but not too much. I asked her to join me somewhere more fitting for our conversation. When she agreed, my stomach gave a little flip, and I couldn't help but smile.

Goodness, this was ridiculous. I was supposed to want to kill her, not befriend her and crush on her.

We walked just down the street a bit to an abandoned building, and went up to the rooftop. From here, you could see most of this side of the city. It was a great place to go for solitude and just relax a bit. I tended to do most of my sketching and writing in this spot. I had a few chairs hidden behind an air unit, and pulled them out for us to sit on. Once I'd gotten seated, I looked to Bella. She was looking out over the city, seeming to enjoy the view. I took the opportunity to check her out, yet again. I couldn't help it, this girl was beautiful and there was just something about her that caught my interest. I scanned her face, taking in the slight furrowing of her brow, and her perfect nose, then her perfect heart-shaped lips. My gaze caught on her lips for a bit, and after a few moments I finally continued on with my ogling. I took in her jawline and the exposed bit of her collar bone. Even in a tee shirt, I could tell that her breasts were superb. Jesus, I was a creep. I forced myself to stop when my thoughts made way for the gutter. I looked up just in time, because she then turned to face me.

"So," she began, "why exactly are you able to be around humans?"

"Well, my family and I chose to take on a different diet, you could say. We live off of the blood of animals, instead of humans. Which is also the reason our eyes aren't red."

She nodded in understanding, with a look of intrigue on her face. Then her brow furrowed again, like she'd just thought of something.

"Your family?"

"Yes, my family. There are seven of us. You've already run into my mother. Then there's Carlisle, her mate and my father. I also have 3 brothers, and one sister. We're not really all related, though, just so you know."

"I see. Is the rest of this family around here, too," she asked.

"My brothers, Edward and Jasper, live in an apartment with me here in Seattle. Edward and Jasper are mates. My other brother, Emmett, and his mate, Rosalie, live with our parents just outside of the city."

"You don't have a mate?"

I grinned at the question, and couldn't help but wonder why that was her next question.

"No, I don't. Now, it's my turn to ask some questions," I said. I was tired of being in the hot seat, and wanted to know about her. All I knew thus far was her name and that she was a werewolf. I wanted to know so much more.

"Shoot," she said, and I began my series of questions.

"What brings you here to Seattle?" It seemed like a good place to start. I didn't want to dive into the more personal questions just yet.

"My dad thought it'd be good for us. He was an officer in Forks for the year that we lived there, and decided to transfer to Seattle PD and move us here. And by 'us,' I mean myself and my brother, Jake."

That cleared up who the two male wolves were, then. I wondered how they had lived in Forks for a year and not been noticed by the shifters or by my family. My parents often went to Forks to hunt.

"How have I only just heard of your kind in this area? You lived in Forks for a year, I should have known about a pack of wolves living there."

"Our house was in a very secluded area, so we could hunt and what not without having to worry about being seen by humans. And Charlie…I mean, my dad…was the only one that really got out much. My brother was homeschooled, I only left our house for my classes at the college in town, and our mother stayed at home unless she needed to go grocery shopping or run errands."

"Oh, you didn't mention your mother before. Is she like you, too," I asked, wondering why she hadn't mentioned her mother when she spoke of her family moving here.

"Um, yeah. I mean, she was."

I immediately felt bad, catching the past tense in her answer.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for your loss, Bella." I couldn't imagine losing Esme, and she wasn't even my real mother. I didn't like the thought of Bella hurting. I wanted to clear the space between us and hug her. But I remained seated, and ignored my desire to do so.

"Thanks." She leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees and looked out on the city again, and I could see the emotions play across her face. Sadness, anger, pain. As soon as they were there, though, they were gone. She looked to me, and gave me a quick grin before changing the subject.

"How old are you," she asked. It caught me off guard a bit; I hadn't been expecting that question. I should've known it would come up eventually, though.

"I'm around 109 years old. I don't remember my exact birthday, but I know I was about 18 at the time I was changed."

"Damn," she said with a giggle.

I decided then that I loved hearing Bella giggle.

The conversation continued on for a bit longer, and I found out that she, too, had a passion for theatre. I also found out that she loved music, and played a number of instruments. She also loved photography. By the end of our conversation, I was even more intrigued by her than I had been before. Our questions had remained fairly basic, and didn't get too personal. They revolved mostly around our hobbies and other interests. Typical small talk, I suppose.

Unfortunately, it was nearing time for our next classes, and I was unhappy about our time together coming to an end.

We made our way down the latter of the building and headed towards the main campus. We said our goodbyes and began walking our separate ways, but I wanted to ask Bella one last question before she left.

"Bella?" I knew I wouldn't have to speak up too loudly, even though we were now about 25 yards apart.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we could do this again after improv. Wednesday," I asked, slightly nervous as I awaited her reply.

"Uhh, yeah. Sure. Sounds great," she said, giving me a lopsided grin that made me smile in return.

"Great!" My voice rose a few octaves, and I mentally kicked myself for letting my excitement show.

Bella just chuckled and continued on to her class.

I felt a bit more comfortable about befriending her. She seemed kind enough and we were able to talk with ease. I smiled as I played back the last 45 minutes in my head. There was still so much to learn about Bella, but I liked her so far. More than I probably should. As I walked to my class, I tried to decide whether I should share what I'd learned about Bella and her family with my own family. I wasn't sure how they'd react to finding out I'd gone off alone with her. Edward would probably go into one of his fits and yell at me in a voice nearly as high as my own. By the time I'd taken my seat in my next class, I'd come to the conclusion that it was probably best I keep things to myself for the time being, and began the long wait until I would see Bella again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I know it's rather slow-going right now, but I can promise you that it will get better. I've just not gotten to the really good parts yet. We'll get there soon, though! **

**The last chapter was pretty boring, but I think you'll enjoy this one more.**

**Thank you for your reviews and for reading. I hope you all stick with me, and any questions or advice is welcome. Reviews definitely inspire. **

**And just to clarify, Bella and her family are not shifters like the Quileutes. They are actual werewolves. My use of the word "shift" may be the cause of the confusion or misunderstanding, and I apologize for that.**

**Thank you all, again, for reading. Enjoy!**

**CH. 3**

**Bella's POV**

I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I had actually enjoyed talking with Alice on the rooftop. The remainder of the afternoon after our conversation, I'd been a bit angry with myself for having played friendly and talked with her so much. I laid in bed that night and played the whole thing back in my head, and when I found myself grinning, I mentally scolded myself for it.

"Knock it off, Bella. She's a vampire! A nice vampire, but still. A monster, nonetheless," I shouted at myself.

For the rest of the night, I tossed and turned in bed. I grew frustrated with my mind for going straight to Alice every time I let it go free for a single second. It was only 45 minutes! How had that changed so much of what I felt towards her before?

A week had passed since that first day we talked, and we'd spoken numerous times since. The second time we went to the roof was the following Wednesday after our first meeting. We hadn't even said a word to each other in class, and somehow it seemed she knew I would follow her after class was dismissed. We walked straight to the abandoned building together, and didn't speak a word until we took our seats on the roof.

Admittedly, I was in a grumpy mood that day, because I had hardly slept since our first talk. Every night, there was a battle against my mind that chose to wonder to Alice constantly.

I'd been snappy towards everyone. Jake just kept making PMS jokes, and dad had just decided to speak as little as possible to me. He was rather passive, so I wasn't surprised that he'd chosen that route when I'd snapped at him time and time again for practically everything.

As soon as I looked out at the view from the rooftop, though, I felt a bit better. And again, Alice and I talked for 45 minutes with ease. Each day that we talked, things got a little more personal. But Alice was very understanding if I chose to avoid a topic or a question. I appreciated that, especially if the conversation had lead to anything that pertained to mothers. I wanted to avoid speaking of my mother at all costs. Not only because I didn't want Alice to know what had happened to her, but also because I just couldn't handle talking about her. I missed her enough as it was. Talking about her would only make me miss her more, and in turn, make me emotional.

Alice and I had talked about our hobbies, all of our favorite things, we'd shared little tid bits about our kinds, and then moved on to the more personal things. We'd talked about what inspired us, what we wanted to do in the future as far as careers, and where we wanted to live and all of that.

But today…today had gotten far more personal than I had expected.

"So, tell me about your love life. Are you dating anyone, are you single, or what," Alice asked, with an amused grin on her face, and her golden eyes staring straight into mine.

I blushed, which I hated. I hadn't wanted things to get this personal yet, but at the same time, a part of me wanted to talk about it. It was kind of nice to be able to do so. I hadn't had anyone other than Jacob to talk to, really, in all of these years.

"Um, well. My love life is…pretty non-existent, really. So yeah, I'm single," I said. I nervously cleared my throat and looked out over the city again. Why was I nervous? What the hell?

I felt the blush creep up my neck and over my cheeks again and I really, really, wanted to hurl myself off the side of the building. This was ridiculous.

I heard Alice giggle, and shot her a look. Was she enjoying my discomfort?

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I promise. I just don't understand how your love life is 'non-existent,'" she said. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she looked like she wanted to suck them back in. Her tiny left hand rubbed the back of her neck as she looked at practically everything except for me.

"Why do you say that?" I was beyond curious as to what she could mean by that. Why saying so had made her uncomfortable all of a sudden. In the week I'd known her, I'd not seen her act shy or embarrassed at all.

"I mean, you're obviously attractive. I'm pretty sure every human within a hundred feet takes their time to check you out and stare for a bit. You must have noticed."

She just called me attractive.

And I actually hadn't noticed anyone looking at me. I hadn't realized until now that the only person I'd really paid any attention to was Alice. Of course I'd paid attention to my professors, but that was mostly just to what they were lecturing or noticing their habits and other little things. I hadn't been paying attention to the way anyone behaved toward me, or who was looking at me or any of that. Alice was the only person I'd noticed doing any of those things. The only person I'd paid close attention to and really watched.

I sat there in stunned and confused silence for about a minute before I finally spoke again.

"I don't really pay attention to people. Not more than necessary, at least. I don't care who's looking at me or what anyone thinks."

"I can guarantee that no one is thinking anything remotely negative of you, Bella. Most everyone on campus that has seen you is more or less in love with you," she said with a chuckle.

Again, I was surprised by her words. I don't know why, but I couldn't help thinking maybe there was more meaning behind her words than she let on. And I wanted to know what that was.

"Well, what do _you_ think of me, Alice?" I looked her dead in the eye, curious to hear her answer. It'd only been a week, but I'd talked to her more than I'd ever talked to anyone outside of my family. Surely she'd formed some sort of opinion of me.

"I think…..I think there's more to you than you let on. Well, aside from the whole wolf thing," she giggled again and then continued on, taking in my confused look and explaining what she meant.

"What I mean is, I think you keep a lot of yourself hidden away. You've got that badass persona going for you, but I think there's more to you than that. I mean, obviously you're a badass, you could easily kick anyone's ass around here. But I think there's more depth to you than that. From the way you avoid some of my questions, or tiptoe around certain conversation, I'd say my thoughts are correct."

All I could do was nod my head at that. There was no answer for what she had just said. I couldn't just deny it, and I certainly didn't want to admit she was right. I did keep a lot hidden away. But that was because anything else would make me look weak, and I despised weakness more than anything. My "badass" persona had always worked well for me. People left me alone, and no one ever tried to befriend me; which meant I never had to let anyone in, and I was perfectly fine with that.

But now there was Alice. Alice, the girl I shouldn't even be speaking to in the first place. And now it seemed she knew more about me than I even wanted to admit to myself.

I hadn't even thought about what I was doing until I was headed towards the ladder with my things. Leaving seemed like the only thing I could do, though.

Alice stood and looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong. Don't go yet, please. We don't have to talk about this stuff anymore."

I paused for a moment, and didn't understand why a part of me wanted to stay. My body felt almost weighed down, as I stood there trying to figure out what to do.

But after noticing all of this, noticing how my feelings were going in a direction they were never supposed to, I grew angry at myself and started to get on the ladder. I stopped once I'd gotten myself positioned properly on it. I looked up to Alice, who still stood in the same spot, watching me with the same look on her face.

"I have to go. I'm sorry," was all I said before I slid down the ladder and made my way down the street.

**Alice's POV**

It didn't take long for me to learn that being around Bella gave me word vomit. Practically every thought I had spilled out of my mouth before I could stop it. Normally, I wouldn't care, but for some reason, I actually did care what Bella thought of me.

Over the past week, we'd gotten to know a bit more about each other. I didn't think Bella could captivate me any more than she already had, but I had been proven wrong. With each conversation, Bella continued to intrigue me moreover. Though we had a lot we hadn't covered yet, I still felt like we had a connection of some sort. Vampires and werewolves were **not** supposed to be able to stand being anywhere near one another. Yet, here we were, sitting together on the roof of an abandoned building, carrying conversation as if we'd been friends for far more than a week. We had to have _some_ sort of connection for that to be possible.

At that thought, I felt a bit of unease wash over me. I didn't understand it, and let it go. There was no reason for me to be feeling uneasy right now.

We'd only been on the rooftop a few minutes, and had just given each other a "hello" and "how are you," as we took our seats.

Since the day I first saw Bella, I'd wanted to know her story. Where she came from, her childhood, what she loved, what she hated, all of that. But the last few days, I'd wondered more about _who_ she loved. Or if she had ever loved anyone. I knew for a fact that most everyone loved her. I'd seen the way other students gazed at her as she walked by or entered a room. She was undeniably sexy. I really wasn't any better than the humans, what with the way my eyes always wondered over her body when she came into view, and the way my mind tended to go straight to places I would rather not admit. I was a mess over this girl, when I should despise her simply because of what she was. But I didn't hate Bella, not at all. And the more time I spent with her, the further I grew from hating her.

"So, tell me about your love life. Are you dating anyone, are you single, or what?"

The words escaped my mouth without my permission yet again.

I had gone straight for the kill without even meaning to. I knew she probably wasn't ready for such a personal question, but my curiosity was killing me.

I hadn't been expecting her to answer me. Judging by the blush that crept over her skin, and the way she looked out over the view, I figured this would be another question she avoided.

But after a minute's pause, she finally replied.

To hear that she had no love life was an utter shock to me. This girl had people drooling over her left and right. How could she not have someone?

Then my word vomit made yet another appearance, and I found myself embarrassed. I hadn't been embarrassed in decades. But I'd practically just told Bella how I felt towards her, and I did not need that coming out right now. I was just starting to get to know her, the last thing I wanted was to scare her off with my ridiculous feelings.

"What do _you_ think of me, Alice," she asked.

I had to take a moment to make sure nothing blurted from my face. I knew for sure that she'd be scared away if I told her how beautiful I thought she was, or how she'd been on my mind every second since the first time I saw her. Or how, despite the fact that we were mortal enemies, I wanted nothing more than to make her love life exist.

Yeah, that's a bit much.

Sheesh, Alice.

My answer was still an honest one. I knew Bella could kick ass, and I knew she had a hard exterior, but I'd seen softness in her eyes many times. When she told me her mother had passed away, I'd seen such sadness in those beautiful blue eyes that it was heartbreaking. And I'd seen the way she lit up when we spoke of our hobbies, and all the things that she loved to do. When we spoke of theatre, or music, or art, she nearly became a different Bella than I'd seen before. It was clear that she held a passion for many things, and that wasn't something that was common in people who were truly as cold as Bella tried to pretend she was.

I knew I was right about her, and it became even more clear just how right I was when she stood and began to walk away.

Immediately, my stomach dropped. The last thing I'd wanted to do was scare her off, and here she was, ready to leave me.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong. Don't go yet, please. We don't have to talk about this stuff anymore."

I hoped so much that she would change her mind about leaving and come sit back down. We could talk about anything she wanted and pretend I'd never said anything. I just didn't want her to leave.

"I have to go. I'm sorry," was all she said before she disappeared down the ladder.

I don't know how long I stood in that spot, just staring at the ladder.

"Dammit, Alice," I muttered to myself.

Why couldn't I just keep my stupid mouth shut? How could I ever expect Bella to want to be around me if I kept saying things that ran her off?

Eventually, I left the abandoned building and went on about my day. My remaining classes dragged on, and when they were finally done, I decided to go to my mother's café. She always had a way of cheering me up.

As soon as I entered the café doors, Esme came out from the kitchen and greeted me with a loving hug.

"Oh, my Alice, so good to see you," she said in her soft, motherly, tone.

"You, too, mom. I just came by to see how the business was going."

She looked at me for a second with questioning eyes.

"Is everything alright, dear?" I should've known better than to think I could get anything past her. She always knew when something was wrong or when any of my siblings or I were trying to hide something.

I gave a sigh, then shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, I suppose." I couldn't really come right out and tell her the truth. _I'm just, ya know, kind of falling for a werewolf. No big deal_, probably wouldn't go over too well.

"Well, you know you can always talk to me about anything, honey. I'm always here for you," she said.

I wanted to tell her so badly. I wanted to tell her so that she could tell me what to do, because I certainly had no idea.

But instead, I busied myself around the café, helping Esme with customers and cleaning. Before I knew it, it was 10 pm and time to close.

I gave Esme a hug and a kiss on the cheek before I left for my apartment.

Just as I began making my way up the steps of my building, I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I wasn't sure I was seeing correctly when I turned to find that it was Bella standing there.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been so busy with moving and starting classes. I just got my laptop back, though, so hopefully I'll have time to update more often now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Reviews would be very much appreciated. **

**Also, just to clarify, I do not own these characters. **

Ch. 4

** Bella's POV**

After leaving the rooftop and finishing my final two classes, I decided I needed to do something to get my mind off of Alice and our conversation. I rode my longboard home, and decided it'd be a good time for a long run. I changed into my black Under Armour workout tank and shorts, and laced up my Nike LunarGlides. Dad had bought the shoes for me as a gift because he'd found the name comical. I had hardly used them, since I usually ran in wolf form.

I tied my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed my iPod and watch off of my dresser. When I left the house to begin my run, it was 4:30 in the afternoon.

I'd hardly noticed the sun going down, and hadn't really paid attention to time at all until shops and diners started closing down. I checked my watch for the first time since I left the house. It was almost 10 pm. I was hardly winded, and felt the slightest burn in my calves – the only indication that I'd been running for nearly 6 hours.

As I rounded the corner I realized I was coming up on the diner that Alice's mother owned. Just as the thought hit me, I saw her and her mother walk out. Panicking, I ducked into a nearby ally. I don't know why I felt I needed to hide, but I did. I stayed there until Alice's mother had gotten into her car and driven away, and realized Alice was walking to where she lived. I was curious as to where she lived, but I didn't want to be a stalker. I decided to cut through the ally and come out on the next block and continue my run.

I jogged down two more blocks and cut left to loop back towards my house. As I rounded another corner, Alice was yet again in my line of vision.

_Fuck, are you serious?_

I saw Alice begin making her way up the stairs of an apartment building, and without thinking, I walked over to her.

I didn't know what to say once I was there, I just took a deep breath. Apparently that was all I needed to do, because Alice turned around as I exhaled.

"Bella?" I couldn't tell if she was glad to see me or not, but Alice was definitely surprised.

"Um...heyyy," I said, wiping my forehead on my arm. I think I was sweating more now than I had been during my run.

"Hi there. Mind telling me what you're doing here?"

Okay, she didn't seem too happy about my appearance.

"I was...I've been jogging around town all night, and happened to come around the corner here and saw you walking up. I guess I just thought I'd say hi?" I really didn't know what I was doing there any more than she did. I wasn't sure what made me walk up and try talking to her. But here I was, and I was definitely making a fool of myself.

"Ahh, I see. Well, would you like to come inside? My brothers are out, and you look like you could use a water break," she said.

Now that she mentioned it, I was pretty thirsty. I wasn't sure I should go in, but it wouldn't do any harm just to grab a drink and head on my way.

"Uh, sure. Thanks.," I said, and followed Alice into the building.

Once inside, we headed toward and elevator. The whole ride up was awkwardly silent.

We stopped on the top floor. I followed her to the door, and waited as she unlocked it. When she opened it up and led me inside, I couldn't believe the place. It was a massive loft, which had obviously been decorated by Alice. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"I'll get you a water, then give you a tour of the place," Alice said, as she headed toward the kitchen area.

I gave a nod and continued to look around the place. To the left of the entrance was the living room. The walls were a light gray, and hung on one wall was a 72" flat screen television. On another wall were 3 paintings, which I was immediately intrigued by. I walked to the wall to get a closer look.

When I got closer, I realized they were actually 3 canvases making up one painting. It was a scenic painting of a sunset. It hit me then that that was the view from the rooftop where Alice and I went to talk.

"Like what you see," Alice asked as she walked up behind me, my water in hand.

I reached to take the water from her, and felt our fingers graze. Instantly, my arm tingled as though I'd just been struck by the most delightful bolt of lightning. I pulled away and cleared my throat nervously, wondering if she'd felt it to. When I looked at her, she was looking at the paintings.

"Did you do these," I asked, turning back to face the three canvases.

"I did. The rooftop is where I do almost all of my work. This is one of my favorites that I've done."

"It's beautiful." I truly meant that. It was one of the best pieces I'd ever seen. I was beyond impressed, and really wanted to see more of her work.

"Thank you," she said, and gave me one of her brightest grins. I couldn't help but mirror her grin, it was infectious. "Would you like me to show you around the rest of the place?"

"Sounds good," I said, and followed her as we began our tour. She showed me the kitchen, which was decked out with all the latest appliances. I found it odd that they had anything in the kitchen, but she informed me that it was mostly for looks, though her brother Jasper would occasionally invite friends from work over for dinner. Apparently he was an amazing cook, despite the fact that they didn't eat human food.

Next was Jasper and Edward's room. It was a fairly large room, with a large bookshelf taking up one wall, half with books and the other half with records and CDs. In the far right corner, across from the bookshelf, were two comfy looking lounge chairs. Down from the chairs was a large bed, with a midnight blue comforter and matching pillows. Seeing the bed made me realize how tired I was. I would've loved to jump onto it and rest my head in the middle of all the pillows.

"Now to show you my room," said Alice, and she turned and gave me a wink.

I gave a small chuckle and swallowed the lump in my throat.

As we got closer to her room, my stomach knotted more and more and my palms grew sweaty. I didn't know why, but suddenly I was nervous and my brain was running through thoughts of Alice and I in her room. God, I was losing all control. This should **not** be happening.

"And here it is. The best room in the house," she said, as she opened the door.

I took a step inside and the first thing I saw was a guitar in the corner, next to a stack of painting supplies. I headed straight for it and picked it up off of its stand.

"Oh my God. Is this the Kaki King Custom by Andrew White?"

I felt like I was holding baby Jesus. This guitar was amazing.

"It was a gift. I did a show with Kaki a while back."

I stared at her in utter disbelief. A _**show **_with _**Kaki King?**_ And she said that like it was no big thing.

"Are you fucking serious? She's, like...my hero. I play along with her stuff all the time. I would kill to play alongside her. Oh my God."

I was rambling. But I couldn't stop. I still couldn't believe that Alice had performed with Kaki.

Wait, she never mentioned she played guitar?

"Wait, wait, wait. You play?"

"No," she said, "she had seen me perform at a little venue a week or so before her show. I was singing and Jazz was playing the sax, while Edward played piano. She loved my voice, and asked me if I wanted to work on some songs with her. She played, amazingly as always, and I sort of just sang whatever came to mind. It ended up sounding really wonderful. After the show, she gave me the guitar and thanked me for working with her. It was an amazing night," she said. She was staring off into space, recalling that night, and had the biggest smile on her face. I had just been staring at her the whole time she spoke. Alice was truly remarkable. I couldn't deny that, not anymore. She was such an amazing woman.

"Will you sing something for me?"

I didn't know where the question had come from, I didn't mean to ask it. But once it was out, I just went with it. I was pretty decent on guitar, and obviously Alice was good at coming up with songs on the spot.

"You want me to sing," she asked. I just nodded, and went into playing one of the songs I'd been working on. It was a soft tune, but full of emotion. I'd gotten into fingerpicking just before my mother passed. When I couldn't sleep at night, I would stay up and pick away until my fingers were numb and bleeding. I'd come up with quite a few good songs, in my opinion. I'd never played in front of anyone before, though. I guess it was time for an outside opinion.

Alice took a seat next to me on the floor, and as I began the second bar of the song, she came in with vocals. She wasn't singing words, she was simply humming in harmony with my playing. And it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I played the rest of the song, and slowly drew it to an end.

I couldn't believe how amazing that had just sounded. I felt like a giddy little kid. It went so smoothly, and Alice was so wonderful. I couldn't contain my excitement, and a smile took over my entire face. I turned to see what Alice thought, and she had a similar smile on her face.

"That was beautiful. Your voice is amazing," I said, in a breathy voice.

"So is your playing. Did you write that song," she asked.

"Yeah, I did. I have a lot of sleepless nights," I said, with a small chuckle.

"I'd love to hear more," she said. I nodded my head.

I couldn't shake the smile from my face, and it didn't seem Alice could either.

We just sat their and looked at each other, smiling and admiring the music we'd just created. Not wanting to spoil the moment.

I found myself staring into Alice's eyes, then my gaze lowered to her lips. They were a perfect shade of pink, and looked so soft. Her smile only made them seem more perfect.

I hadn't realized I was leaning in until I heard Alice's breath hitch.

"Bella," she whispered.

I knew now what I was doing. And I didn't want to stop. I couldn't make myself stop. I was already this close.

"Yes, Alice?"

"What's ha-"

Before she could finish, my lips crashed into hers. We both took in a deep breath, and I wondered if Alice felt the same electricity that I did.

Suddenly, her hands were in my hair and our kiss was getting deeper. I traced my tongue across her bottom lip, and she allowed me entrance. The electricity increased as our tongues fought for dominance, and to my surprise, Alice won.

Soon, she was pulling me on top of her, our bodies flush against one another and our legs tangled.

My mind was swimming, and I was caught in the current of her lips and body against mine.

But then I felt my wolf thrashing inside. Not in a bad way, but in a way that I wasn't ready to allow release. I had to stop.

I pulled away from Alice and sat up. My lips tingled, and my body felt hot. Alice leaned up on her shoulders and looked both shocked and slightly hurt.

The weight of what had just happened finally hit me, and I couldn't believe what was going on.

What did this mean?

"I'm sorry," I said, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

_But I don't regret it, _I thought to myself. And I didn't. As soon as I had pulled away, I only wanted to go back to kissing her. I needed to feel her lips on mine again.

"Bella, look at me," she said, quietly.

I slowly turned my head to look at her. She was sitting up now and we were only a few inches apart. Her golden eyes were locked on mine.

"Bella, I don't know what's going on here, but I know I'm not the only one feeling this. That kiss...was. Wow. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing that was." I couldn't help but grin. She didn't need to tell me, I already knew.

I didn't say anything, though, and let her continue.

"I knew something was different from the moment I saw you, Bella. And when we began talking, it only became more apparent that there was something there, between us. Our kinds are not supposed to mesh, at all. Yet we've carried conversations like it was nothing and have gotten along rather wonderfully. Honestly, I felt an attraction you the moment I laid eyes on you. Bella, please tell me you feel it, too?"

I continued to look Alice in the eyes. I wasn't sure what to say, or even how to say it. I did feel it. I felt it to my core. But what would happen when I finally admitted that aloud?

Her face began to look worried. I took her cheek into my left hand, letting my thumb rub over the soft, cold skin. Alice leaned into my touch, and I continued to think of what to say.

"Bella," Alice whispered once more, pleading for an answer.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! I hope you all are happy with the last chapter. I got tired of waiting for Alice and Bella to get a move on, as I'm sure you were, so figured I'd speed things up a bit. Thank you all for your reviews! It's always nice to hear what you think and to see that you enjoy this story. :]**

**Much love to you all. **

**Ch. 5**

**Bella's POV**

"Bella?"

Alice was growing impatient, and if the look on her face was any evidence, worried, as well.

_Say something, Bella, c'mon. Just spit it out already._

"Um..."

_Jesus Christ. That's it? 'Um?' FUCKING. SPIT. IT. OUT._

"I, I don't know what to say. I don't know if it's because I'm still stunned from what just happened, or because I don't understand, but...I just don't know," I said. I had to say something, so why not just speak the truth? I had no idea what to say, or what to do. None of this was supposed to happen.

_This wasn't part of the plan._

"What plan," Alice asked, one eyebrow drawing up in question.

In my stunned state, I hadn't realized I had spoken aloud.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck,fuck, fuck._

I knew my face was growing red. Probably closer to purple, most likely. Now, I definitely didn't know what to say. There was no way to get out of this one. After taking another moment to think, I decided to just spill it. Everything that had happened, from day one. Running into her mother, Charlie banning us from going near her family, chasing her brother in the woods, and most of all, the evolution of my feeling towards her over the course of our time together.

"Alice, I need to be honest with you. And I really, really, hope you understand and that you don't hate me after I tell you these things, but they need to be said. Honesty is the best policy, right?"

She just looked at me in confusion, then gave a stiff nod.

"Okay...so, I guess I'll just start from the beginning. You remember how I ran into your mother at her cafe, right?"

"Right," she replied. She was looking me right in the eye, and that only made me more nervous.

"After Jacob and I saw her, we went home to tell our father about the vampire we'd stumbled upon. Basically, he banned us from going back to the cafe. And that night was when we came upon your brother in the woods and I chased him down."

"I recall. Bella, what are you trying to get at, here?"

"My point is, my family really does not take kindly to vampires. Obviously. It's embedded in our nature, as you know. When I saw that you were in my class, I almost lost it. I left the classroom to find my brother and tell him there was another vampire around. He told me...Alice...the plan was to get to know you and your family, make friendly with you all, then take you all out."

I rushed through the last bit, and flinched, waiting for her reaction.

She just stared at me.

"You were going to kill my family and me," she said. Not as a question, more as though she were just repeating it so the information would sink in.

I hurried to explain myself, explain how things had changed.

"Alice, it's not like that anymore, though! This was all before I got to know you. I could never hurt you, Alice. Not now. I despised you and your kind, I have for so long. You have to understand that it was sheer ignorance. But then we started talking, and despite all of my efforts to not form any feelings for you, I did. After the first day we spoke, all I could think about was you, and-"

"Save it, Bella," Alice said, cutting me off. Then, without another word, she stood up and started to leave the room.

My heart was pounding, and I felt like I was about to have a panic attack.

I had to do something.

"Vampireskilledmymother!"

I said it as fast as I could, before she could get away.

Alice halted in the doorway. _Thank God,_ I thought. But I was not out of the woods yet.

I stood and walked towards her, tears filling my eyes. I was determined to keep them at bay, though. Now was not the time to start blubbering.

Slowly, Alice turned to face me.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I'm so sorry," I said, in a whisper. The tears started to fall, and I ducked my head.

I felt a cold hand take mine, and looked up to see Alice looking at me with such sad eyes. I wasn't sure at this point if they were sad because of what I'd told her about the plan, or because of what I'd told her about my mother.

"Bella, don't cry," she said, in a soft voice, "Can you tell me what happened? Is that why your family hates us so much?"

"Yes, mostly. That's why my father banned Jacob and I from going near any of you. He doesn't want to lose us, too."

I wiped my face with the collar of my shirt, and took a deep breath before telling Alice about my mother's passing.

"Can we sit down, please," I asked.

"Of course," Alice replied, as she led me to the foot of her bed. We sat, and I took one more deep breath.

"A little over six months ago is when it happened. We lived in Forks, in a small house near some woods. Jacob and I were home schooled. Mom stayed at home and took care of us, and Charlie worked at the police department as their Chief of Police."

"One afternoon, while Charlie was at work, Jake and I decided to go out for a run. Mom was out shopping, and we weren't supposed to go out, but we figured we could get back before she came home. So, we headed out into the woods. We shifted, and headed towards the creek that was nearby. There was always something to hunt around there.

After we finished our hunt, we decided to check out some other areas. Specifically, areas we hadn't really been to. We headed North, and found this beautiful meadow. It was a gorgeous, open area, and the trees made a perfect circle around it. The meadow itself was full of wild flowers, and it was just amazing.

We had only been lying in the field for a few minutes when we heard something in the trees. We both jumped up, scanning the woods and trying to catch a scent. We didn't catch the scent until it was too late, though. Two vampires, a blonde male and a redheaded female, came into the meadow. We knew they were going to cause trouble as soon as they appeared. What we hadn't known, though, was that mom had gotten back earlier than we thought she would, and had followed our scents to where we were. Before we knew it, she was in the middle of the meadow, standing between us and the vampires."

By now, I was full-on bawling. I don't know how I was still able to form words through all of my sobs and sniffling. But I continued, anyway.

"She told us to go home. We took off back towards the house, but I couldn't leave her on her own. I made Jake go home and call our dad, hoping he could make it in time to help before anything happened. After sending Jake off, I ran back to the meadow. When I heard my mother yelp, I ran faster. When I made it back to the meadow, the male had my mother in a headlock and the female was clawing my mother to pieces. I don't know why I thought I could stop it, but I took off into the field, headed straight for the redhead. As soon as I charged her, Jacob and my father burst through the trees. The vampires knew they couldn't take on three wolves, and made a run for it. Dad and Jake had to have chased them halfway through Canada. I stayed with mom. She was barely hanging on. We heal fast, but there was...t-too much damage."

I lost it. I couldn't speak anymore. I was completely breaking down, hardly able to breath from sobbing so hard. Alice wrapped her arms around me and laid us back on the bed. I buried my face in her shoulder and continued to cry until I had nothing left.

"It was all my fault, Alice. If I'd just told Jake no, if we'd just stayed home, she'd still be here. She's gone, Alice. She's gone!" Another wave of sobs came, and Alice held me tighter.

Nearly and hour later, I'd finally calmed down. We still laid on her bed, her arms still holding me tightly. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I hate to see you in so much pain. I hate what those two did to your family. But those two aren't like most of our kind. Obviously they were a couple of rogues just looking for trouble."

I nodded, and sat up.

She sat up, as well, and took my hands in hers.

"Bella, my family is nothing like that. We don't feed on humans, as you know. In changing our diet, we've become more complacent than most vampires. We're able to live in harmony with the humans. Your family shouldn't be worried about us harming your kind. We never resolve to violence unless it's absolutely necessary," she said. I already knew all of these things. Of course, my father and brother did not.

"Charlie and Jacob would never believe that, though. They're too set in their hatred. I wish I could change that, but I don't know how. My father doesn't know that I've been hanging around with you, and if he found out, he would kill me. Jacob knows, but he thinks it's still only a ploy."

I was reminded, then, that I hadn't told Alice everything about hoping to get information on the two rogues from her, before we ultimately destroyed her entire family.

"I left a bit out of what the plan was. The original plan was mostly to use you and your family for information. We thought you may know of these two rogues, and be able to lead us in their direction so we could make them pay for what they've done," I said, barely above a whisper. Thinking back on everything now, I couldn't believe that I had agreed to this plan. Sure, I wanted the information on the vampires, but I couldn't believe that I had once been okay with the idea of killing Alice and her family.

"I see. Well, we do know many vampires across the States and through Canada. Perhaps we can find a bit of information, if you can remember enough detail to give a good description," she said.

I was surprised she was offering to help. After all that I'd told her, I hadn't expected any kindness from her. I was still shocked that she stopped and had held me as I told her about my mother.

"I could never forget. Thank you, Alice. Really."

We were still lying down on Alice's bed, her arms still holding me tightly. I had no complaints at the position we were in, but I still had one more thing to say to her. I sat up, bringing her up with me.

She looked at me with a questioning look, and I gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Can I tell you something else," I asked her. I was nervous again, and couldn't seem to pull my eyes away from my hands, which were fidgeting in my lap. She seemed to have noticed my nervousness, and took my hands in hers.

"What is it, Bella?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and let the words flow. It was as much of an admission to me as it was to her. This was me accepting my feelings, and revealing them to Alice at the same time.

"When I saw you that first day in class, there was a part of me that was drawn to you. Of course, initially, I didn't want to believe it. When we started talking, I tried to ignore the fact that I was actually enjoying our time together. I tried so hard not to feel anything towards you. Not even the slightest bit of friendship. But with each day that we spent together on the roof, the harder it was for me to ignore the pull, or to keep you out of my head at night. I've hardly gotten any sleep since that first day because I can't stop thinking about you. And tonight, when you started singing, it was like the flood gates were opened, and all those feelings I'd been trying to hide came rushing out. I've never felt anything like what I felt when we kissed. You literally knocked the breath out of me, in the most amazing way. I don't know what this means, I don't know why I feel these things, but I know everything has changed. You're amazing, Alice. And I would never hurt you. I can't even believe that I had once even considered it. I'm ashamed of myself for my ignorance. I hope you can forgive me, and that we can continue as we were before."

"I've already forgiven you, dear. Don't worry about that. And as far as what you feel towards me, I know exactly what you mean by all of that. I wanted to kick myself that first day that I saw you, because I was so enamored with you right from the start. You're too sexy for your own good," she said, and we both giggled.

"I hope that's not too much of a problem," we both laughed again, and Alice gave me a playful slap to the arm.

"Try not to let that go to your head too much, there, Bells," Alice replied. I enjoyed my nickname much more when she said it.

I finally looked up from my hands, a smile on my face. Alice gave me a smile of her own, one that greatly outshone mine. We sat there for a few moments, just looking at one another, our massive grins never leaving our faces.

**Alice's POV**

I could still feel the tingles on my lips from the kiss with Bella. To say it was the most amazing thing I'd ever felt would be an understatement. I was filled to the brim with desire as soon as her lips connected with mine, and needed more. I could kiss those lips every day for the rest of my life and never get enough.

The kiss ended, and I needed to know what Bella was feeling. She had pulled away so suddenly. I wanted to laugh when she apologized for having kissed me, as though I was going to complain about it.

I had to say something, something to get Bella to tell me what was on her mind.

I made her look at me so I could begin. I looked her right in the eyes and told her what I felt, not only from the kiss, but from the first day she walked into my life.

I knew something was different from the moment I saw you, Bella. And when we began talking, it only became more apparent that there was something there, between us. Our kinds are not supposed to mesh, at all. Yet we've carried conversations like it was nothing and have gotten along rather wonderfully. Honestly, I felt an attraction to you the moment I laid eyes on you. Bella, please tell me you feel it, too?"

I waited for her to reply, hoping she'd tell me that she felt the same way.

But she just sat there, looking confused. I began to worry.

What if Bella didn't feel the same way? What if she'd just gotten caught up in some moment?

The negative thoughts began to swim through my mind, and I couldn't make them stop. Nothing would stop them, except for Bella telling me she felt it, too.

It seemed like hours before she finally spoke up. But then, all she'd had to say was "Um."

Um? I practically spill my heart out to this girl and I get "um?"

I was growing frustrated, at myself for wanting her to want me so badly, and at her for still not saying anything of meaning.

"I, I don't know what to say. I don't know if it's because I'm still stunned from what just happened, or because I don't understand, but...I just don't know," Bella said, "This wasn't part of the plan."

"What plan," I asked. There was a plan?

As soon as she told me the plan, I wished that I hadn't asked. I wished that I hadn't kissed her, I wished that I had never spoken to her. I couldn't be in the same room with her anymore. I stood up, and began to make my way out of the room when Bella blurted out something that caused me to halt abruptly.

"Vampireskilledmymother," she shouted, as though it were one word.

I felt like I'd just been kicked in the stomach. I knew Bella's mother had died, but I had no idea that she had been murdered. I turned to Bella, and could see the tears in her eyes. It pained me to see her hurting.

We sat on the foot of my bed, and she told me the story of her mother's death. When she finished talking, she broke down. I was nearly crying just from hearing what she had been through, knowing she blamed herself and knowing how much she must miss her mother. I held her to me tightly, wishing I could take all of that pain from her. Nearly an hour later, she calmed down enough to speak again.

I had decided to try and help Bella find the two rogues that killed her mother long before she told me that the original plan was to get information out of my family and I to do just that.

"Can I tell you something else," Bella asked. I grew nervous, wondering what else there could be to tell me, but allowed her to speak again. She looked even more nervous than I felt, with her hands fidgeting in her lap, and her eyes focused on them. I took her hands in mine, and she continued on to tell me what she needed to say.

"When I saw you that first day in class, there was a part of me that was drawn to you. Of course, initially, I didn't want to believe it. When we started talking, I tried to ignore the fact that I was actually enjoying our time together. I tried so hard not to feel anything towards you. Not even the slightest bit of friendship. But with each day that we spent together on the roof, the harder it was for me to ignore the pull, or to keep you out of my head at night. I've hardly gotten any sleep since that first day because I can't stop thinking about you. And tonight, when you started singing, it was like the flood gates were opened, and all those feelings I'd been trying to hide came rushing out. I've never felt anything like what I felt when we kissed. You literally knocked the breath out of me, in the most amazing way. I don't know what this means, I don't know why I feel these things, but I know everything has changed. You're amazing, Alice. And I would never hurt you. I can't even believe that I had once even considered it. I'm ashamed of myself for my ignorance. I hope you can forgive me, and that we can continue as we were before."

I wanted to jump up and dance around like a child on Christmas, but decided it was best to keep calm.

After we finished talking, and after a few jokes, we sat on my bed just smiling at one another.

"You're beautiful, Alice," Bella said, out of nowhere. The grin on my face only grew larger.

"I'm glad you think so," I replied, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to kiss Bella again.

I leaned in slowly, giving Bella the time to stop me if she wanted. When our lips finally met again, my breath hitched, just as it had the first time. The wave of desire and pure want washed over me again, as well.

Bella's hands made their way to my hips, and mine tangled into her hair, pulling her lips closer to mine. My stomach began to knot, and I knew I would give Bella all that she wanted of me.

Bella's hands found the exposed skin just under my shirt, and a new wave of pleasure hit. My skin was tingling where she was touching me, and I had to suppress the moan that was trying to escape.

Just then, I heard the apartment door thrust open, and slam against the wall. Bella and I both jumped up off of the bed, and Edward appeared in the doorway.

"What the fuck is going on," he shouted, his eyes shooting daggers at Bella.

"Edward, calm down," Jasper said, placing a hand on Edward's shoulder. I could feel Jasper sending out waves of calm.

"You're one of the wolves!" Edward was still shouting, but I could see that his muscled had relaxed a bit.

"I am," Bella answered.

"Why are you in my apartment," he asked, still angrily, but less loudly.

"She's here with me, Edward. And she's not here to cause any harm. So, calm down and please leave us alone," I said, stepping to place myself between my brother and Bella.

Jasper took Edward's hand, and began to lead him from my room.

"I believe we'll be talking about this later, Alice, correct?" At least Jasper had manners. I knew he'd want to speak about what was going on with Bella and I, so I agreed. I would tell him everything after Bella had left.

I closed my door, plopped down onto my bed. Bella laid beside me, and neither of us spoke for a while. We just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

"I should probably get going. It's late, and I'm sure my dad's back home, wondering where I am."

I didn't want Bella to leave, but it was too soon for me to offer for her to stay.

"I suppose that's a good idea. I need to have a talk with my brothers, anyway."

We both stood and made our way towards the apartment door. I wasn't sure what would happen now. Do I kiss her goodnight? Give her the awkward goodbye wave, or what?

"Can I give you my number," she asked?

Another smile spread across my face, and I nodded, maybe a little too much.

I typed her number into my phone, and told her I'd text her after my talk with Edward and Jasper.

I thought she was going to just turn and walk out, but instead she leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. "Goodnight, Alice," she said, and she turned and headed to the elevator.

I closed the door, smile still on my face, and prepared myself for the talk with my brothers.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for such a long wait. I hope you all aren't too upset with me. School and life in general have kept me rather busy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though, and I promise to update quicker from now on! Reviews, of course, are welcomed and appreciated. Much love to you all. **

**Ch. 6 **

**ALICE'S POV**

After standing at the door for a little while longer, I finally decided to get the talk with my brothers over with. I knew Edward would hear the thought in my head, so I didn't bother calling for them to come to the living room. Shortly after I took a seat, he and Jasper walked in. Edward still looked angry about what he'd come home to, but he relaxed a bit after Jasper sent out a wave of calm. I felt myself relax, as well, and gave Jazz a thankful grin. As soon as they were seated, the questions began.

"Why was that mutt in our apartment, Alice," Edward asked. I rolled my eyes, but answered his question.

"She happened to be passing by on her afternoon run, and stopped to say hi. Being the polite person that I am, I invited her in for some water."

He huffed at my response, and Jasper only nodded. It still baffled me as to how Jasper put up with Edward's bitchiness. I knew Edward had a nicer side, but that side of him came around very rarely and only for brief moments. I truly hope he behaves better when the two of them are alone.

"Alice, I'm not going to try and tell you what to do, but I do hope you are being careful about this friendship you seem to have formed with the girl. Have you at least gotten to know more about her," Jasper said. He was certainly the perfect southern gentlemen, even after all of his years as a vampire.

"I am, Jazz, no worries. Bella is actually very kind. The incident with Edward was a misunderstanding, and she is sorry for that," I said, glancing to Edward, who had crossed his arms and pursed his lips in a disbelieving gesture. What a diva.

I continued on to explain more of how Bella and I came to be friends. "She and I have actually been getting to know one another for about a week now. We've hung out after the class we share together and talked a lot. She moved here with her father and brother from Forks. I don't think her brother and father would be quite as accepting of us as she has become, but they have their reasons. I don't believe they will be a threat unless provoked, though. From what Bella has told me, her father seems to be a passive man. He'd rather they all avoid us, instead of confront us."

Jasper took in the information with a few quick nods, and Edward continued to look out of our living room window. I understood he was being protective of our family, but there was no need for him to be so rude to me. I paid him little mind, though, as was usual.

We spoke a little longer, and agreed that I should meet with Esme and Carlisle the tomorrow to give them what little information I could of Bella's family. After the talk, we all retreated to our rooms for the night, taking on our usual activities. Jazz and Edward usually worked on music together (or did other things I'd rather pretend did not happen with me under the same roof). I sat on the edge of my bed and began thinking of what all I would tell my parents when I met with them. I had decided not to share the story of her mother, as that was not my story to tell. I doubted Bella would have told me so soon, if at all, had it not been for the situation we were in. Tonight had certainly given me the opportunity to see a different side of Bella. I had gotten to see the talented and almost child-like side of her, with how giddy she was about my guitar and how amazing she was at playing. I could watch her play forever and never cease to be amazed. Of course, I would also love to kiss her forever. No words could express how magnificent that kiss felt. If she could play guitar while also kissing me… now **that** would be perfection.

_Okay, Alice, calm it down._

What was this girl doing to me?

Honestly, I didn't really care. She was amazing and I couldn't get enough of her. It seemed she was beginning to feel the same way about me, and that thought alone put a massive smile on my face.

I heard a few light knocks on my door, and stood to go open the door. Jazz was standing on the other side, with a small smile on his face.

"May I come in," Jazz asked, and I stepped aside and motioned for him to enter. He took a seat on the floor, across from the foot of my bed, which was where I chose to sit.

"What's up, Jasper," I asked, curious as to why he was here, not that he wasn't welcome. He and I spent a lot of alone time together, he was my best friend, after all. But something seemed to be bothering him a bit.

"Alice, what are your intentions with Bella? I apologize for asking something so invasive; it's just…well, I'm just curious. I hope you don't mind."

I was a little surprised by his question, but I could understand his curiosity, seeing as how they happened to walk in to find us all over each other.

"I like her, Jazz. She's interesting and we get along great. I enjoy spending time with her. I think she and I will become very close," I answered. I wasn't sure how else to answer, since I wasn't even sure where my relationship with Bella was going. Sure, we kissed, but we hadn't exactly discussed what we were going to do about whatever we were feeling.

"'Like' seems to be a bit of an understatement, there, Ali," a grin began to grow on his face, soon becoming a full-blown smile. A devious looking one, at that. "You two looked like you were ready to ravish each other." We both laughed.

"Yeahhh, sorry you had to see that," I said, and we laughed some more.

"Alice, I couldn't help but feel what you were feeling when we stumbled upon you two," his face grew serious, and I looked to him with a questioning look, but allowed him to finish what he was saying. "Aside from the lust, of course, there was something else. Have you considered that Bella may…be your mate?"

My jaw dropped. I knew something was special about Bella, and I knew how she made me feel, but I hadn't considered that she could be my mate. She was a wolf. Was it even possible for a vampire to mate with a wolf?

"I'm…but…she…what?" Obviously my brain was still trying to catch up with this idea.

"Jazz, she's a wolf. I'm a vampire. How could that be possible," I asked, sincerely hoping he could give an answer.

"I wouldn't have thought so, but I'm familiar with the feelings that come when one has found a mate, and that is what I felt from you. So, it seems it is possible. In this case, at least."

I took a deep breath to steady myself. I had waited so long to find my mate, and the thought that I may finally have found that person made me want to jump up and dance around and hug Jasper to pieces. But part of me wondered if it were possible that Bella may not see me as her mate. I wasn't very well educated on werewolves, I had no idea how mating worked for them. She had said she was drawn to me, but that didn't necessarily mean I was her mate. If I were human, I would have a major headache right now.

"I suppose I need to talk to Bella about this," I said. Jasper nodded, and began to stand up.

"That would probably be wise. Don't worry, Alice, everything will work out properly," he held is arms open, and I stood to wrap my arms around him for a tight hug.

"I know. I need to go out, would you and Edward mind going hunting with me?"

Jasper took my hand and gave a smile and nod, then led me out of the room. We gathered Edward from their room, and headed out for our hunt. I would keep everything off of my mind for now, but I knew I needed to get in touch with a Bella as soon as possible. Neither of us had classes on Tuesday, and I didn't feel like waiting until Wednesday after class to talk to Bella again. I'd text her when I got home and see if she was willing to meet with me in the morning so we could talk.

Oh, goodness.

**BELLA'S POV**

I made my way home with a smile on my face. It seemed impossible to remove it, but I didn't really bother to do so. I replayed the night's events over in my head; the music we had made together, the kiss, and even the not-so-enjoyable parts. I was happy with the end result, though. Alice obviously had feelings for me. I knew I had feelings for her, too, and it was a relief to have finally accepted, as well as admitted, my feelings for her. As impossible as the entire situation seemed, I was looking forward to seeing what was to come. But as I drew closer to my home, I remembered that I would have to keep these feelings a secret. Jacob and Charlie would certainly not approve. My family had known about my orientation for years now, so that wouldn't be the issue. The fact that Alice was a vampire would be. It would be a challenge to even get them to consider being civil and friendly with Alice and her family, much less approve of the things that were happening between the little pixie and myself.

What was happening between us, anyhow?

I'd never felt like this for anyone before, and I would certainly have never expected to feel this way for a vampire. It didn't seem possible. We were fated to be enemies. I'd heard of wolves mating with humans before, but never vampires.

No matter, though. I felt the way I felt, and I had no desire to fight it anymore. I'd take things as they came, and not question it anymore.

As I made my way up the front steps of my house, I could see Charlie and Jacob sitting in the living room, watching television. I never thought I would hope to be sweaty, but I was definitely hoping that my run home and been enough to cause my scent to cover the scent of the vampires enough that I could make it up to my room without them noticing it. That would certainly be a hard one to explain. Maybe not to Jacob, but he knew that I had been hanging out with Alice. Only he thought it was still just "part of the plan." Charlie, however, had no idea, and would flip his shit if he knew I had been anywhere near a vampire.

I opened the front door, and headed straight for the stairs. I gave a quick "hey" to my father and brother, and raced up the steps to my room. I'd take a quick shower, change clothes, and head back down to talk to them, that way I could be clear of the scent and not seem suspicious by hiding out from them.

_Good plan, Bella._

After getting cleaned up, I slid down the banister of the stairs and made my way to sit beside Jake on the couch.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie greeted, with his eyes still glued on the baseball game playing on the massive television.

"Hey, dad. How was your day?"

"Same old, same old. Yours," he asked. I, of course, left out anything that had to do with Alice, and continued making small talk with Charlie. After a little while, I heard my stomach grumble.

"Have you guys had dinner yet? It's late, I hope you haven't been waiting on me this whole time."

"Nah, we ordered pizza a few hours ago," Jake said, also keeping his eyes on the game. "There's a few pieces left in the fridge."

After the long run I had tonight, I was going to need more than a few pieces of pizza. What I really needed was to go hunt. I wouldn't be allowed to go on my own though, and my chances of getting Jake or Charlie away from the tv right now would be next to impossible. I opted to make some hot wings to go with my pizza, and after I finished all of that, I still had room for a couple of sandwiches. After my belly was finally satisfied, I felt my eyelids begin to grow heavy, and figured it was time to call it a night. I was thankful to not have classes in the morning. I could use a few extra hours of sleep.

After telling Jake and Charlie goodnight, and giving them both kisses on the tops of their heads, I retreated to my room. As soon as I plopped down onto my bed, I heard my phone go off, indicating a text. I smiled, knowing it had to be Alice.

_**Hey, Bella. It was nice seeing you tonight. **_

I wasted no time responding to the text.

_**You, as well, Alice. We should hang out again sometime.**_

I don't know why, but I felt somewhat nervous. It felt as though my stomach was full of fluttering birds.

Within seconds, I had another text from Alice.

_**That's actually why I was texting you. I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming by sometime in the morning? Edward and Jazz are going car shopping, and that is bound to take all day. I wouldn't mind a bit of company while they're out.**_

Psht, as if she had to ask. Charlie would be at work, so I wouldn't have to worry about him knowing I was out. And I wouldn't have to lie to Jake. I had no other plans, anyway.

_**Sounds great. What time should I head over? **_

_**Is 9 good for you? I'll even make you breakfast. ;)**_

Well, so much for sleeping for a few extra hours. I wouldn't mind getting up early for Alice, though. That statement alone says a lot…

_**Sure. I'll see you at 9. Oh, and btw, French toast is my favorite breakfast. Just saying. :P**_

After making the plans, we said goodnight and I fell asleep still smiling. I don't think I've ever smiled so much in my life. What was happening to me?

I woke up at 8:15 and started getting ready for my morning with Alice. I'd never been one to fret over what to wear, but I wanted to look good for Alice, and was having a hard time picking out a shirt to wear. I had no intention of compromising my comfortable style, but I did want to step it up a little.

15 minutes later, my previously clean room was now a mess, but I had finally found something to wear. I went with my grey lace-up vans, dark blue skinny jeans, and a grey button up with white vertical stripes. I quickly brushed through my wavy hair, brushed my teeth, and headed down stairs.

"Where you going all dressed up, Bells?"

I jumped a little, not expecting Jake to be up already. He was sitting on the couch, with a mouthful of cereal.

"Going to Alice's. I uh…I think she's starting to warm a bit," I answered. If only he knew just how much she had really warmed up to me…

"Good, good. Let me know if you start finding anything out. And be careful."

"Yeah, I will. Call me if you need anything. I should be back in a few hours. Later, Jake."

I grabbed my board from beside the door and headed to Alice's. At exactly 9, I was at her place. I was about to knock, but the door swung open just before I raised hand to do so. Alice opened the door with her biggest smile. I felt my own smile form, and before I could even say hello, the little pixie had a hold of my hand and was jerking me through the door. I chuckled at her excitement, and she sat me down at the kitchen table. Without another word, she disappeared into the kitchen, but quickly returned with a plate full of French toast in one hand, and syrup in the other. I picked up the knife and fork off the table, ready to dig in. By the time the food was in front of me, I was practically drooling.

"This looks great, Alice. Thank you," I said, giving her a quick grin before I began devouring the food.

"Thank you very much," she said, in a pleased tone, "I hope it tastes as good as it looks."

She took a seat across from me, and it took me a few more bites to realize she was staring at me.

"Whabr oo rookin aht?"

_Wow, Bella. How about we not try to speak with our mouth full?_

Alice giggled at my attempt to speak, and I swallowed my food and asked again.

"Sorry. I was asking what you were looking at?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just watching you eat. It's rather entertaining," she said, giggling some more.

"Ahh. Well, glad you think so." I shrugged my shoulders and got back to inhaling my breakfast. She really could cook pretty amazingly for someone who didn't eat food.

"So, what would you like to do while we hang out," Alice asked. "I've got tons of movies, there's games around here somewhere, or we can just hang out on the couch and talk. Or whatever else you may have in mind."

_Oh, I can think of something I'd like to do…_

_NO. STOP. _

_BEHAVE._

"Um, I don't know. You pick. I'm cool with whatever," I answered. Which was true. I was positive I could enjoy doing just about anything with Alice.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk for a little bit first. Then we'll see what else we can come up with," she said, looking a little nervous. I was curious as to what she would be nervous about, but nodded and finished my meal.

She took my plate to the sink, and returned to lead me to the couch.

"Is everything alright," I asked as we sat down. There had to be a reason she wanted to talk.

"Oh, yes, everything's fine. I'm just…I suppose I just have a few questions." She looked so cute when she was nervous. It was still strange to see her this way, since she's usually so bubbly and confident.

"Alright, well, what's on your mind?"

"I've just been wondering, about us. After everything that happened last night, I've been curious as to how you feel about it all."

I smiled at her, and thought for a moment about what to say.

"Well, it was certainly unexpected," I chuckled," but if you're asking if I like you, the answer is clearly a yes. I don't understand it, how it's possible, but I do. Quite a lot. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

She was grinning at me, and our eyes locked as she began to speak.

"I like you, too. A lot. I can't explain it anymore than you can, but I know I've never felt this way and I'd like to explore this feeling a bit more." As she finished speaking, I caught her eyes glance down to my lips. Reflexively, I licked them. Her eyes grew darker at that, and I couldn't help but grin a little. I slowly reached out my hand, and began lightly tracing circles on her knee.

"I'd like that, too, Alice," I said, my voice sounding surprisingly husky. Her eyes locked on mine again, and in an instant her lips were on mine, and I was pushed back until I was lying flat on the couch. The heat and sparks spread throughout my entire body, and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips. This only caused Alice to moan and wind her fingers tightly in my hair. My hands made their way to her hips, and I pulled her closer to me. Our tongues fought for dominance, and I made sure to win this time. After a few moments, I swiftly flipped us so that I was on top. She seemed surprised at this sudden movement, and pulled back to look at me. I grinned at the surprised look on her face, and leaned back down to place a soft kiss on her delicious lips. After a few more soft pecks, I let my tongue trace her bottom lip slowly. I pulled back this time, and she whimpered in displeasure. I gave a light laugh at that, but I had stopped for a reason.

"Alice, does this mean you would like to be my girlfriend," I asked. Her face looked like it could break in two with how big her smile was.

"I would, very much, Bella," she whispered. Our lips met again, but the kisses were slow this time.

After another 15 minutes of making out, Alice and I decided we needed to calm it down. Instead, we laid there and held one another and just talked for the next couple of hours. I had ended up back beneath Alice, and she laid with her head rested atop one hand on my chest. The other hand lightly traced up and down my cheek and neck, and I did the same with one hand on her back, while my other one rested at her hip. Neither of us had stopped smiling for the entire time we'd been talking.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot I'm meeting my parents at the café. What time is it?" Alice sat up, and I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time.

"Uh, it's 12:07. What time are you meeting them," I asked, wishing she didn't have to go. I didn't want to end our time together so soon.

"12:30," she sighed. Then she seemed to think about something, her head tilted to the side. "Hm…Bella, would you like to meet my parents?" She gave me another huge smile, and waited for my answer.

Her parents? We'd only just started our relationship and she already wanted me to meet the 'rents?

God, Charlie would flip if he found out I had been with not only one, but three, vampires today. Then again, I didn't plan on saying anything about it. And it's not like her parents would harm me. If they're anything like Alice, maybe they'll actually be alright. Hopefully.

I thought about it a little bit more, then finally decided.

"Sure, I'll go. Will they be okay with me, though?"

"Carlisle would be very interested in speaking to you, I'm sure. As long as you behave, I don't see that there will be any problems," she said, giving me a wink and another smile.

"Why does it have to be me? Your parents could behave just as badly as I could," I replied, a little defensively. Why would she think I wouldn't behave?

"I was only kidding, Bella, calm down. And my parents would never misbehave, silly. Now let's go, I don't want to be late."

She gave me one last quick kiss before pulling me off of the couch and leading me out of the door.

I was about to meet Alice's parents…

Fuck.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello lovelies! Bet you weren't expecting an update so soon. I'm getting better about this, as I promised. Let's just hope I can keep it up. Now, on to the new chapter! Enjoy!**

**Ch. 7**

**BELLA'S POV**

_Breathe, Bella. You can handle this. You're just meeting her parents. No big deal. _

We were coming up on the café, and with every step closer, I was growing more nervous. My grip on Alice's hand grew tighter, but she continued to skip towards the building as if this was just another normal day.

As we reached the door, I took one last steadying breath, and Alice gave me a reassuring smile and gentle squeeze of the hand. I gave her a nod, and she opened the door, then led me to a table inside. A few moments later, I heard the soft footsteps of her parents coming from the back area.

"Alice, dear," Esme said, as she spotted her daughter after entering the dining area, and greeting her with open arms. Alice gracefully hopped up from her seat beside me and glided into her mother's arms. I felt my chest tighten as I longed for my own mother to hug me like that, just like she used to. Awkwardly, I looked at my hands that were rested in my lap.

"Hello, Alice," the man I assumed was her father said, and he gave her a similar hug.

"Introduce us to your friend," he asked, and Alice took their hands to lead them to our table, flashing a brilliant smile my way.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme, whom I believe you've already met once. And this is Carlisle, my father."

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Carlisle said, extending his hand.

"Likewise, sir," I said, giving his hand a firm shake, and offering a polite smile.

"Hello, Bella," Esme said, offering a hug to me. I was quite surprised by this gesture, given our last encounter, but I hugged her anyway, not wanting to make another bad impression.

"H-hi."

After our greetings and introductions were finished, we took our seats at the table. Esme asked if I would like anything to eat, on the house, and I accepted, of course. Free food? Duh.

I thanked her, ordered a burger and fries, and then our conversation began. And by conversation, I mean questioning. I knew they would have questions, but this was nearly an interrogation.

"So, Bella, tell us a bit about your family," Carlisle said. His voice was very calm, but it also held authority.

I told him I lived with my brother and father, and that we'd moved here from Forks when my father had accepted a position at the Seattle PD. I told him that my mother was deceased, and he didn't press the issue anymore, not asking what happened to her or anything like that. I suppose he knew that that topic wouldn't be very proper for a lunch discussion, but regardless of the reasoning, I was thankful that the matter was dropped quickly, and the topic changed. He began asking me about myself, wondering what I was going to school for, if I had any special interests and blah blah blah. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Well, until he started to ask about werewolves. I looked around the café a bit nervously, expecting that someone may have heard the question, but quickly discovered that there were only a few other people inside with us, and they were on the opposite side from where we were seated.

"How did your family end up here in Washington? Or in the States for that matter? Last I had heard, the wolves had been secluded to Europe."

His information was correct. My kind had been forced to Europe many centuries ago. Back then, the wolves were not as strong as we are now. The vampires had easily reigned over them, and forced many of them into slavery. A small number had managed to escape the vampires once in Europe, and lived in the expanse of forests and mountains. Over time, the wolves began to evolve into more powerful creatures, my great grandfather being one of the most powerful of these evolved wolves.

Which was how he had managed to escape with his mate and begin a life in America.

I began telling Carlisle the story of my great grandfather.

"As I'm sure you know, a small group of wolves had escaped from the vampires after being taken to Europe," I said, and Carlisle gave me a nod, as he placed his hands beneath his chin, seemingly interested in the story I was beginning to tell. "After these wolves escaped, they remained hidden in the many forests around Europe, constantly moving and also evolving. Though the wolves had begun to grow stronger, it was still not certain that they could take on the vampires. Until my great grandfather was born. He was born with three times the strength and speed of the wolves around him. He had bred with the females of his pack to create more wolves like himself, but they were never quite as strong as he was. He knew he did not want to be part of the war that was bound to come when the numbers rose high enough for our kind to fight the vampires, so when he found his mate, he decided to use his strength and speed for escape. Without a word to the rest of his pack, he and his mate fled. They made it to the coast, and hid away on a cargo ship that was headed to Canada. Once there, they made sure to remain very well hidden, so as not to be discovered by any human or vampire. If they did encounter a vampire, my great grandfather was quick to kill. He was not willing to risk the chance of other vampires finding out about the escape and coming to take himself and his mate back to Europe. After a few years, my grandfather was born. He was the first to be born with strength and speed matching my great grandfather. Later that year, after my grandfather was born, they came across another small pack of wolves just outside of Calgary, Alberta. My grandfather found his mate in this pack, and 23 years later, my father was born, just as strong as his father and grandfather. Now, my mother was born of a pack in Russia that was under reign of the vampires still. When she was 17, her mother and father distracted their rulers so she could make an escape. She also hid on a ship that was headed for Canada, and after a few years of wandering on her own, she stumbled upon my father and his pack. They were mated, and a few years later they chose to move to America to begin a life together. "

By this point, all three of the vampires had become completely immersed in my story, Carlisle especially.

Alice was watching me with a small smile on her face, her head propped in her right hand.

"Shortly after that, I was born, and we found Jacob in the woods during a hunt when I was about 12, and he was only 9. And that's pretty much it," I said, ending my story. Everyone seemed to sit still as they let the information sink in, and soon after, my food arrived. As I began eating, Carlisle spoke up.

"What a story. Your family has certainly been through quite a lot of hardship. I would love to learn more about your species, though I'll save that conversation for another time. I'm sure you're tired of speaking," he said, and making us all chuckle. I really was a bit tired of talking. I hadn't ever told anyone that story before, and I didn't want to give out any more information on my family today. I already felt like I'd told too much.

"Now it's my turn to talk then," Alice chimed in, flashing her brilliant smile to us all.

I knew what she was probably about to tell her parents, so I braced myself, expecting the worst, even though her parents had been very kind and welcoming thus far.

**ALICE'S POV**

I decided to let Carlisle ask his questions of Bella before taking my time to speak. I knew he was eager to get to know a bit about her, and I wanted both of my parents to know her better before I got into the details of my relationship with her. Thinking about it all, I realized we were moving along rather quickly, but I had no qualms about it. I knew how I felt for her, and I was fine with the way things were working out. The sooner my family got to know her, the better. I knew it would make it easier if I introduced her to my parents first. As long as I had them on my side, my siblings wouldn't have much say in regards to Bella being a part of my life. I wanted them to be okay with it, of course, but if they had any problems, I wasn't going to let them stand in my way.

Bella's story drew to an end, and I prepared what I was going to say to my parents. I knew Carlisle still had many more questions for Bella, though he chose to save them for another time. I was thankful for that, as I'm sure Bella was, as well.

After Carlisle told Bella he would save the rest of his questions for later, I finally took the opportunity to speak.

"Now it's my turn to talk, then," I said, smiling to my family and Bella as I directed their attention to me.

Esme gave me her loving and motherly smile in return, and Carlisle gestured for me to speak.

"I brought Bella with me today because I wanted you to get to know her a bit. I knew you, Carlisle, would love the opportunity to ask a few questions, and I wanted Bella to have another chance to meet Esme, since last time didn't go over as well, from what I've heard." We all chuckled, and I continued on with what I was saying.

"Also, I wanted you two to know that Bella and I have become quite close. We began talking on our break at school, getting to know one another and all that, but we've grown even closer in the last 24 hours."

Carlisle and Esme both looked at me with curious expressions on their faces, but I knew they were most likely putting the pieces together.

"Over our time spent together, it seems Bella and I have developed feelings for one another. Strong feelings, at that. Which is the most important reason I brought her today. Bella and I are now together, and I hoped for you to meet her and give us your approval. "

Bella was staring at her hands in her lap again. I took her right hand in my left to calm her, and gave her a reassuring smile. I turned my attention back to my parents, waiting for their reply.

The hopeful gleam in Esme's eyes, the soft smile, and slight tilt of her head were her way of silently asking me if Bella was my mate. I answered her silent question with a smile of my own, and one quick nod. Carlisle knew what my nod meant, as well, and a gentle smile appeared on his handsome face, as well.

"Alice, I'm so happy for you, dear," Esme said, taking my free hand in both of hers. I felt Bella relax instantly, now knowing my parents weren't going to attack her as she once thought they might.

"Thank you," I replied, "I knew you would understand, but Bella was quite skeptical." We all laughed, except for Bella, who was avoiding eye contact and rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand. That only made me giggle more.

"Well, Bella, I expect we'll be seeing more of you, in that case. I hope you and I will get a chance to sit and talk more about your kind, if that's alright with you," said Carlisle, bringing Bella back into the conversation.

"Yeah, that's no problem. But I do have one request," Bella said, "I need to make sure that my family doesn't find out about any of this. I don't think they'd be very happy with it."

I knew she wouldn't explain any more than that, and I wasn't going to say anything either. Carlisle and Esme would agree to keep this between all of us, regardless. There really wasn't any need to explain anything else. They knew wolves didn't take kindly to vampires, and that was enough for them to agree to keep the secret.

We stayed at the café a little while longer, allowing Bella to finish her meal, and giving me more time with my parents. The conversation remained light, mostly talk of school, Carlisle's work, renovations Esme was making on their house, and things like that. It was just after 3 when we said our goodbyes, and Bella and I began walking back to my apartment.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it," I asked, giggling at Bella who had only now completely relaxed.

"No, it wasn't. I can't believe your parents were so quick to accept our relationship," she said.

Bella had a lot to learn about my family, still. She had yet to meet Emmett and Rosalie, and hadn't been properly introduced to Edward and Jasper. That would all be slightly less simple as our date with my parents, but I knew things would be alright once they all had the chance to get to know Bella better.

"Carlisle and Esme are great like that," I said, and we both chuckled. "Now you just have to meet the rest of the family."

"Riiight, can't wait," Bella said, sarcastically.

The remainder of the walk to my apartment was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Once we were back inside, Bella made her way to the couch. I followed, but surprised her when I jumped into her lap.

"So, what do we do now? Jazz and Eddy won't be back for, oh,…3 more hours."

I saw the mischievous look in Bella's eye and felt a shiver run down my spine just thinking about what may have been going through her mind. I hated to stop those thoughts, but I wanted to save any intimate moments for a better time.

"Keep it PG, Bella," I said, laughing at her obvious disappointment. Within moments, though, she was grinning again.

"How about PG-13," she asked, as she slowly began to lean towards me, while also pulling me closer to her.

"PG-13 is fine," I said, barely above a whisper and just before her lips met mine.

The kiss was gentle and sweet, but I couldn't stop the inappropriate thoughts that began running through my mind. I silenced them quickly, though, and focused all of my attention on the way Bella's soft lips moved with mine.

We stayed that way for another half hour or so (I really had no idea, I could never keep track of time when kissing Bella) before Bella pulled away and spoke again.

"We could watch a movie before I have to head home. Charlie gets off work at 6. I need to get home early enough to change clothes and shower before he returns. Gotta make sure I don't smell like vampire when I see him," she said.

I'd forgotten that she'd have to make sure he couldn't smell me or any of my family on her. It was going to be a greater task than I'd realized to keep all of this a secret. Bella didn't seem to have a problem with it, though, so I didn't worry about it too much.

"A movie sounds good," I replied, "What would you like to watch? I'm sure we have just about every movie you can think of." I walked her to the shelf that held all of our movies and let her scan over them to pick one out.

Bella looked over them, but soon had found a movie she wanted to watch.

"Really? You want to watch Wuthering Heights? Of all the movies we have, that is your choice," I asked, surprised by her pick. It was the first major film adaptation of the book, made in 1939.

"Yup. This is my favorite book, but I've never seen the movie."

Hmm. Bella was proving to be more interesting than I had originally thought.

I put the movie in and made my way to Bella, who was already lying on the couch. I laid myself in front of her, and she wrapped one arm around me. I took her hand in mine and decided then that this was a new favorite thing of mine. I would love to do this with Bella as often as possible. Being held by her was wonderful, and nothing was as relaxing as feeling the warmth of her body against mine and being enveloped by her woodsy scent.

The movie was over all too soon. I wasn't ready for Bella to leave, but I knew I couldn't keep her longer. I walked her to the door and gave her one last kiss goodbye. She told me she would text me when she got home, and that would be enough to get me by until I could see her at school the next day.

After she was gone, I laid back on the couch and waited for her text. The cushions still smelled of her, and I let myself get lost in the scent of trees, rain, and vanilla.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: About damn time, I know. I apologize for the long wait. I'm not going to make any excuses or anything, so just accept my apology and this very long update to make up for my absence. If you are, in fact, still following this story, I thank you very much. Love to you all!**

**CH. 8**

**BELLA'S POV**

To say I was happy this evening would be an understatement. I was completely blissed out as I made my way back home, thinking back on how Alice's parents had been so accepting of us. Everything was working out much better than I had expected. Even if my family would have to be kept in the dark about it, I was feeling much better knowing we at least had Alice's family on our side. Well, her parents, at least. I still had to meet the siblings, and there was no telling how that was going to go.

I was surprised to find that Jake wasn't home when I made my way inside. But it was also a bit of a relief, because I could avoid his questioning for a little while. I went ahead and took a shower, and changed clothes. I decided to also go ahead and wash my clothes just to be safe. I needed to do laundry anyway, really.

After I was done with all of that, I checked the kitchen to see what I could make for dinner. I was extremely pleased to find 6 rather large ribeye steaks waiting in the fridge, already marinated. They smelled absolutely amazing. I started up the grill out back and went back inside to start making some baked potatoes and rolls to go with the steak. After all that was set and baking, I went back outside to put the steaks on. My stomach was practically shouting at me as I prepared everything. This was one of my favorite meals, even if it didn't really do much for my strength. It was delicious, and that's what mattered.

As the steaks began to grill, I could hear something running towards the house from the woods. I immediately scanned through the trees, and saw Jake. He flinched as he caught my glare and the growl that clearly showed how displeased I was. He knew we weren't supposed to go out alone, especially not Jake. He may have been strong, but he wasn't as strong as Charlie or me.

I dropped the tongs I was using and walked towards Jake, meeting him right at the tree line.

"What the hell were you doing, Jake?" I wasn't exactly surprised by his actions, but nothing pissed me off more than knowing he had put himself in a position that could easily have ended badly.

"Calm down, I just went for a run. I got bored," he said, but the slight guilty look in his eyes told me he wasn't telling me the exact truth.

"Riiiight. Now how about you tell me what you were really doing? Aside from being a dumbass."

Jake was immediately on the defensive, and fumbled over words trying to come up with an excuse or anything to cover his ass.

Jake has never been very good at lying.

"Fucking _FINE._ I smelt something weird when I was lying in the hammock and I just wanted to check it out. It's not that big a deal, Bells," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Then he began to turn, "Look….still in one piece."

I popped him over the head swiftly, irritated by his stupidity.

"You smell something weird, and decide to go looking for it _by yourself_? Seriously, dude? Are you that fucking dumb?" I wasn't as pissed off now, but I was still in protective-older-sister mode.

"Okay, yeah, it was dumb. But still! Look, the smell led me to the La Push rez. And it's waayyyy more intense what you get there. I think we should check it out. Obviously whatever it is has been checking us out," he said. I couldn't dispute the fact that I was curious about this. And it could potentially be a problem if whatever was snooping around here knew what we were.

"Okay. We'll talk to dad about this when he gets home. **Minus** the part about you going after the scent alone, and going all the way to La Push following it. We'll just tell him we smelled something strange while we were cooking, alright?" I knew Alice would probably be able to tell me a bit about the La Push residents, but dad would need to know about someone checking out our area, just to be safe.

The conversation ended there, and I went back to finish making the steaks.

Just as I was setting the table, Charlie made it home.

"Smells great, Bells," he said, as he came through the door and began taking of his jacket and duty belt.

We all took our places at the dinner table and made our plates. I couldn't suppress the foodgasm as I took the first bite of my steak.

"Ooooohmygawwd, I love steaaaaak." Jake and dad laughed at me, but nodded their heads in agreement. I had done a damn good job of making the steaks. They were grilled perfectly. Done on the outside, but still a bit raw on the inside. Perfection!

When everyone was done eating, I decided to tell dad about what Jake had found. I took up everyone's plates and set them in the sink and began to wash them.

"Hey, so, dad… Jake and I came across something today in the backyard," I said, getting Charlie's attention before he could fall asleep in his chair.

"Yeah? What'd you find?"

"Well, Jake was lying in the hammock while I was making the steaks and he smelled something weird. It was all around the trees lining the back of the house. It seemed like it came from further west of us, and I guess whatever it was went back the way it came. We just thought it'd be best to let you know, in case you wanted to check it out." I was being extremely nonchalant about the whole thing. I hated lying, but I knew what really mattered was that we find out what was in our yard. Jake just sat and waited to see what Charlie would have to say about it.

"Well, we'll need to be extra careful then. Tomorrow night we'll see if we can find out anything. I'm too tired tonight. And we'll need to go hunt before we go looking for whatever it was, just to be safe. Until then, keep close to the house and don't go into the woods," he said, tiredly. He got up from his seat and gave Jake a pat on the shoulder before coming and kissing me on the head and telling us both goodnight.

I was eager to finally get to text Alice, so I said goodnight to Jake as soon as I was done cleaning up.

I made it to my room and plopped down onto my bed, immediately grabbing my phone from my pocket and finding Alice's name in my contacts.

Before I could even start to type, I got a message from Alice.

"**It's about time. I've been waiting forever to hear from you! You really shouldn't keep me waiting like that. ;)"**

I giggled at my little pixie, and started a new message.

"**I'm sorry, my lady. I'll try not to let it happen again. :P I did miss you, though, if that makes up for anything." **

I sent the text, and only moments later received another.

"**I suppose I can forgive you then. And I kind of missed you, too. :)"**

We texted back and forth for the next hour or so, though it only seemed like a few minutes. I had almost forgotten that we had classes in the morning. I knew I would be worn out if I didn't attempt to get to sleep soon, so I told Alice goodnight and got ready for bed.

As I lay in bed waiting to fall asleep, I thought about how different my life was now that Alice was in it. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face at the thought of her. For the first time in a long time, I was actually happy. It was shocking how much I was feeling for one girl. One vampire, at that. But now, I couldn't imagine not having Alice in my life; even if we had only officially been a couple for a little over 24 hours.

**ALICE'S POV**

I felt like I had been waiting forever for Bella to finally text me. I had gone hunting, painted, designed a few new items of clothing, and read through numerous magazines in an attempt to pass the time. None of it had been working very well. With a huff, I dropped the magazine I was trying to read and laid back on my bed. I looked at my guitar and thought back to the night Bella had played for me, and I had sung along with her music. So much had changed since the beginning of that night. I smiled as I remembered our first kiss.

And now, we were finally an official couple.

A vampire and a wolf.

As I continued thinking about my Bella, I felt the tingles of an oncoming vision.

I waited for the vision to begin, and then smiled even greater than before as I saw Bella lying in bed and taking out her phone to text me.

I couldn't wait. Not even as a vampire was I very patient.

I took out my own phone and quickly sent Bella a text.

After a few hours, Bella and I said goodnight. I went back to finding things to do to pass the time. I would be seeing Bella tomorrow, and I knew the wait would be grueling.

I started getting ready for school at 5 am. I knew I had a few hours before we would be leaving the apartment, but I've never been very good about picking an outfit out quickly. And now that Bella and I were together, I was even more set on finding the perfect outfit to wear.

I decided on a dusty-pink button up top that fit loosely, and a floral patterned skirt. I put on my Minnetonka two-button boots and went to start on my hair.

I took my time with my hair, making sure it was absolutely perfect. Then, I touched up my makeup. By the time I was done and satisfied with my appearance, it was time to leave.

The weather outside was pleasant, so we decided to walk. The campus was only a short walk away, just under a mile.

I was too excited to get to see my Bella again to walk normally. Not that I really ever did walk normally, anyway. But I couldn't have stopped skipping and dancing my way down the sidewalk even if I wanted to.

"Sheesh, what's gotten into you today, Ali," Jasper asked, with a knowing grin on his face. I just giggled and smiled back at him. He knew exactly what had me so chipper.

"Seriously, Al. I know you're a little ball of energy, but goodness." Edward couldn't help but grin a little, too. I was surprised he wasn't being pissy, considering he must have known that my excitement was for Bella. I'm sure Jasper's thoughts would have given it away. I wasn't going to question this, though. If Eddie wasn't planning to spoil my mood, I wasn't going to ask questions and change his mind.

We finally made it to campus, and I kissed both of my brothers on the cheek before making my way to my class.

As I came upon the building for the class, I saw Bella waiting outside. A smile instantly took over my face, and I saw the same reflected on Bella's face.

I loved Bella's smile. I could've sworn I felt my dead heart flutter at the sight of it.

I closed the distance between Bella and I and wrapped my arms around her. Bella chuckled, but hugged me tightly before taking my hand and leading the way to our class.

"How did you sleep," I asked, looking up to admire the sight of the beauty beside me.

"I slept alright. I missed you, though. It would've been a much better night had you been there," Bella said, looking at me and giving me another gorgeous smile.

I leaned up on my tip toes to give her a quick peck on the lips as she pulled open the theatre door for me.

"Always the gentleman." Bella chuckled and followed me inside.

"But of course," she said.

We took a couple of seats behind the rest of our classmates, and I couldn't help but give Bella another kiss.

All too soon, Bella broke the kiss. Then Emily emerged from backstage and began the class. I realized it would probably be a good idea for me to introduce Bella to Emily, and decided to do so after class.

"Alright, everyone," Emily said, as she took a seat on the edge of the stage, "Today you will partner up and we're going to see how good your improv skills are." I smiled, and took Bella's hand. This was going to be a fun class.

Pulling out a coffee can full of slips of paper, Emily continued to tell us what we would be doing.

"On each of these slips, I've written out a scenario that I want you to act out. For example; one might say 'two roommates fighting over the television remote.' You guys get it?"

The class nodded in understanding and Emily handed the can around so everyone could pick a slip. As the can made its way to us, Bella held it out to me to pick our slip.

I immediately fell into a fit of laughter as I read what we would be acting out.

"What? Let me see it!" Bella jerked the slip from my hand and read it aloud.

"Student/teacher. Student tries to seduce his/her very uninterested teacher," Bella read, her eyes growing wider as she finished reading the slip.

"I call the student," I said, still laughing. I was going to make this extremely interesting, and very entertaining; for myself and the audience.

"Alice, noooo! Ugh, can we pick another one please?" I couldn't stop giggling at the very embarrassed Bella that was beside me. She did look adorable when she blushed, though.

"Sorry, babe, looks like we're stuck with this one," I said, giving Bella a wink before I began to laugh again when she growled in protest.

We watched the other pairs perform their improvs, most of which were pretty good, and waited for our turn. While most people had taken the time to get an idea of how they were going to go through their performances, Bella and I were just going to wing it. Mostly because I wanted it to be a surprise to Bella. I wanted to see how she'd react to everything I had planned. I couldn't stop smiling and giggling at the scenarios playing through my mind. That alone was making Bella nervous.

_Ohhhh, this is going to be good. _

"Alright, Alice, you and your partner come on up," Emily said, announcing our turn and giving me a smile. I handed her our slip and she chuckled, and gave a knowing nod. She knew me well enough to know how mischievous I could be.

"I have a feeling this is going to be interesting," she said, and we both laughed. Bella growled at me again, and pouted as she took her place in a chair on stage.

"Whenever you're ready," Emily said. Bella and I waited a moment before starting, lowering our heads to let everyone know we were ready to begin.

_And here it goes…_

Bella stood and walked to where I was seated, she held her head high, looking full of authority.

"Alright class, today we're going to-"

Before she could finish, I interrupted. _Did I mention I'm impatient?_

"Why, Ms. Swan, _**you**_ are looking stunning today. Mmmm," I bit my lip for added effect.

I could've cracked up laughing at the way Bella halted and looked at me.

"W-well, thank you," she said, then she cleared her throat in an attempt to get her authoritative voice back, "but please, keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Oh trust me, I'm certainly not about to share all of my thoughts." I gave her a wink, and I could hear the class giggling.

"I suggest you keep quiet for the rest of class, ma'am," Bella said, this time sounding a bit flustered, "or there will be repercussions.

She realized what she had set herself up for as soon as the words were out of her mouth, judging by the way her eyes shut tightly for a split second.

"Oh? Are you going to punish me," I asked, in my most sultry voice.

At this point, I decided to step it up and rose from my seat. I slowly walked over to Bella and placed my hand on her chest, backing her towards her chair. When the back of her knees hit it, she all but fell into the seat.

Without wasting any time, I sat on her lap and threw my arms around her neck.

"You know, Ms. Swan, I've been needing a little help with my grade. Is there aaaaany way we could work something out to help raise it?" Oh, the cliché lines never fail.

I could hear the slight growl forming in Bella's chest, and then she caught me completely off guard. I froze as I felt her fingers lightly trailing down my neck and across my collar bone, causing a chill to shoot straight down my spine.

In one swift movement, Bella lifted me up and sat me back in my seat. Then, leaning in extremely close to me, with a hand on each side of the back of my chair, she began to speak in what had to have been the sexiest voice I'd ever heard.

"This is your last warning, Miss Cullen."

She stayed as she was, staring into my eyes, neither of us willing to look away.

The class laughed at the action, as well as the look of shock on my face.

I was too busy watching Bella's eyes, as I noticed white and a light vanilla tone forming around her pupils and slowly beginning to spread out through her irises.

Thankfully, Emily called time, and Bella quickly snapped out of it; her eyes turning back to their original icy blue color.

Without a word, we walked back to our seats. Emily began speaking to the class about our performances and going on into her lecture, so I took the opportunity to check on Bella.

"Are you alright," I asked, quietly enough that there was no chance of anyone else hearing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," she replied, blushing a bit again.

I didn't want to question any further. Bella seemed a bit tense, so I was sure she just wanted to drop the subject. I'd oblige, at least for now.

**BELLA'S POV**

I knew Alice was up to no good the moment I'd read what our performance was going to be about. But I hadn't guessed that at some point, she would be sitting in my lap and speaking to me in the sexiest voice I'd ever heard.

I couldn't stop myself from being turned on, and I knew I need to get her off of my lap before I lost control and had my way with her in front of our classmates and professor. After sitting Alice back in her chair, I leaned in close to Alice and spoke in a husky voice that was full of authority. "This is your last warning, Miss Cullen." I couldn't stop the growl that was building in my chest, and I felt the familiar heat that came when my eyes began to change.

Emily called time, and I could've hugged her. Alice hopped up from her chair I quickly made my way back to my seat with the rest of the class. I really hoped Alice wouldn't question me about what had just happened.

Of course, she did. But I was thankful when she dropped it quickly.

After class, Alice asked if we could go to our spot on the rooftop. I agreed and she took my hand to lead the way.

Once we made it to our spot, Alice grabbed our chairs and we sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Alice spoke.

"I was hoping to introduce you to Emily, our professor. She's a friend of mine. But I figured that would be better for another time."

I nodded and gave her a thankful smile.

"Yeah, probably," I said, still a little embarrassed by my slipup.

"If you don't mind my asking….what exactly happened back there? Your eyes…" I knew Alice was probably a little worried, so I figured it was best to go ahead and tell her what had happened.

"Well…uhh. I just kind of…." _Really wanted to rip your clothes off?_

_Almost took you on the stage in front of everyone?_

_REALLY want to take you right now?_

"…I got a little too excited…" I said, sheepishly.

I looked over to see Alice looking at me with an eyebrow raised and her bottom lip between her teeth.

_Dammit, this woman is going to kill me._

"My apologies, Bella," Alice said, but her voice was far too sexy for me to buy that she was actually sorry.

She giggled at the skeptical look I gave her, knowing I didn't believe her apology.

"Okay, maybe I'm not sorry for exciting you. But I _am_ sorry that I did so in an inconvenient place."

"A very, very inconvenient place. That was extremely mean of you," I said, giving her a jokingly serious face.

"I'll gladly make it up to you," she said. Her amazingly sexy voice from earlier was back, and it gave me chills. Before I could say anything, she was straddling my lap.

This time, I didn't bother trying to stop the growl that erupted from my chest. Without wasting another second, I grabbed Alice tightly by the waist and crashed my lips against hers.

Her hands found their way into my hair as she pulled me closer to her.

As I pulled away, I took her bottom lip between my teeth. The moan Alice emitted was enough to make me lose it. My lips found hers again, and our tongues began to battle for dominance. I won easily, and the heat of the kiss increased. I pulled Alice tighter against me as I stood from the chair.

"I really don't need to go to the rest of my classes," I stated in a breathy voice, "What about you?"

"Hmm-mm." Alice was kissing me again, unwilling to stop long enough to give me a verbal answer. But it was good enough for me. I grabbed our bags and Alice was already headed down the ladder.

I didn't even bother using the steps of the ladder. Instead, I gripped the sides and placed my feet on the outside of the rails. Loosening my grip, I quickly slid down the ladder until I was far enough down to drop without risking anyone being suspicious if they happened to see.

As soon as I was on the ground, Alice grabbed my hand and all but sprinted back to her place.

A few minutes later, we were bursting through her apartment door; Alice's legs wrapped around my waist again as I held her with one arm until I discarded our bags. I tossed them to the side and hoped I could make it to Alice's room without running into anything.

I managed to make it successfully, our kiss never breaking until we landed on her bed and I started to kiss along her jaw and down her neck. Alice faced away from me, exposing more of her neck. Alternating between kissing and nibbling, I moved down to her collar bone.

I could feel Alice's breathing getting heavier, and her hands began to toy with the bottom of my shirt. Goosebumps rose everywhere that her fingers touched my skin.

I began to undo the buttons of her shirt, silently asking Alice to let me remove it. When she arched her back a bit, I took it as a yes and quickly slipped the shirt off of her shoulders; tossing it aside somewhere in the room. Not a second later, my shirt was off and tossed aside, as well.

I took a moment to let my hands wander up and down Alice's body before leaning back down to kiss her again. Alice's nails softly scratched at my back as she deepened the kiss.

I was so wrapped up in the feel of Alice's body pressed against mine and the heat of the kiss that I almost didn't notice Alice trying to remove my bra. I leaned back a bit to give her room to pull it off before beginning to undo hers. I felt a shock shoot straight to my core as Alice's bra came off, and her chest was exposed to me.

Of their own accord, my hands went straight to Alice's chest. She gasped as I leaned down and let my tongue begin to flick over one of her nipples before taking it into my mouth, while my hand paid attention to the other. After a few moments, I switched.

I wanted to taste more of Alice, and began to let my hands run up her thighs slowly. Alice's hips began to rock against me as let my hands wander further up. I kissed my way down her stomach until I reached the top of her skirt.

Looking up to make sure this was okay by Alice, I saw her staring down at me with black eyes and her teeth worrying her bottom lip again.

Slowly reaching down, she hooked her thumbs under her skirt and began to slip it off. I help pull it off of her legs and tossed it away. I couldn't help but stare at Alice's amazing body.

I looked into Alice's eyes one last time before ripping off her panties. I took in yet another view of Alice's amazing body.

"God, you're beautiful." Alice smiled and pulled me up to kiss her. This kiss was more passionate than the ones before, but soon became as heated as the rest.

"I need to taste you, baby," I said, as I began to kiss back down her body once again.

Alice began to softly growl as I got closer to my destination.

Finally where I wanted to be, I planted kisses along Alice's thighs before slowly licking my way up the length of her.

Alice's sharp intake of breath was enough to egg me on.

I repeated the motion a few more times before focusing my attention on her most sensitive spot.

I gently sucked on the bundle of nerves, while letting my tongue rub circles around it. Alice's back arched and her hips began to thrust. Wrapping my arms around her legs, I grabbed her hips to hold her in place.

After a few minutes, I placed a finger inside Alice's warmth, and couldn't stop the moan that escaped at the discovery of how wet she was for me.

Alice's hips began to buck harder, and I placed another finer inside of her, speeding up my thrusts slightly while also increasing the speed of my tongue on her clit.

In moments, Alice was arching her back and grasping my hair, holding me to her. I could feel her muscles tightening against my fingers and knew she was getting close.

I curled my fingers, hitting the perfect spot and soon Alice's orgasm racked through her.

I planted a few soft kisses over Alice's hips as I removed my fingers and made my way back up to take Alice into my arms.

Her look of sheer bliss brought a smile to my face, and I held her tightly against me.

We laid there in silence while Alice came down from her high. After a few minutes, she finally spoke.

"That was….wow. Just….wow."

I chuckled at that. Alice was never at a loss for words, so it was entertaining to see her try to find the words to say. I certainly felt a bit of pride, as well.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I said, still giggling.

"Mhmm. Now it's my turn," Alice said, with a mischievous smirk on her face as she rolled me onto my back and kissed me.

I really hoped Edward and Jasper weren't due back anytime soon.

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I'll have another update for you soon.**

**On a side note: I went to Seattle over Christmas break, and it was definitely awesome to finally have an idea of the area that this story takes place in. I fell in love with the city. I recommend everyone take a trip there. It's beautiful.**

**Anyway, reviews are always lovely! I love hearing what all of you think of the story. **


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